MEDFIELD CHILDREN’S CENTER ON SOUTH STREET- OCTOBER 2008 NEWSLETTER

(Website address-www.medfieldchildrenscenter.com, E-Mail address-rph.mcc@verizon,net)

 

CENTER CLOSED:                1.     Monday, Oct. 13th (Columbus Day)

 

SPECIAL EVENTS:                1.     Lisa Hull Pictures Mon., 10/6and Tues., 10/7 (Individual Pictures)

2.        Halloween Parties - Signups will be posted on the Parent Bulletin Board in your child’s classroom

3.        Sixth Annual Story Time at MCC-Wednesday October 15th 6:00-7:30/8:00  WEAR YOUR PAJAMAS (info coming)

PARENTS’ CORNER

 

1.        ARRIVAL – Children thrive when they have consistency and familiarity with routine.  It makes them feel safe and fosters independence.  Some children are still adjusting to separating from parents; to make it as comfortable for your child as possible, please try to adhere to the same routine each drop off, including trying to get to MCC on time.  We know it’s difficult to leave when your child is sad, but saying a quick, happy, reassuring good-bye and leaving as quickly as possible will help.  School is still new to many and we promise drop offs will get easier.  As soon as you are out the door, the frowns turn to smiles; the kids settle in and have a great time with friendsJ

 

2.        PARENT VOLUNTEERS –Please see your child’s classroom teacher if you would like to volunteer to help out in any way.  Thank You!!

 

3.        ABSENCES –We very strongly request that you call all absences into our office (359-4239) anytime your child is out due to sickness or vacation schedules. It helps us keep track of potentially contagious illnesses.

 

4.        LABELS/BATHROOM – Just a reminder to label all backpacks, lunch boxes and outerwear clearly with your child’s name.  Please make sure your child has gone to the bathroom immediately before entering our school.  ThanksJ

 

5.        RECYCLED GOODS – We are always looking for beautiful junk, recycled goods and used books/toys in good condition, especially computer paper, labels, stickers, envelopes,

and meat trays.  We especially need baby dolls in good condition and dramatic play clothes for girls (frilly nightgowns are great) and boys (sport coats and vests).

 

6.        FIRE PREVENTION WEEK – During the weeks of October 1st and 8th we will be practicing fire safety awareness in a fun, non-threatening manner.  Please reinforce this concept in your homes & make every effort to visit your local Fire Station Open House.  It could truly be life saving to one and all.

 

8.      FILE PAPERS - Please make sure medical records are up to date with 2007 physical exams.  Your cooperation in working together is greatly appreciated.  Also, please  

          remember to give us any changes as they occur to keep your emergency form up to date.

 

9.      COMPUTER TOTS – ComputerTots will be coming to MCC every Thursday to offer thirty-minute computer classes. This is a great opportunity for your child, three years

         and older, to learn how to use a computer through cooperative learning.  Anyone interested in signing up, please see your classroom teacher or Robin.  If your child doesn’t  

         come to MCC on that day, but you would like him or her to attend ComputerTots, not a problem, we can set you up with a specific time to drop off and pick up your child.

 

10.    SPANISH LESSONS – Spanish lessons will take place each Wednesday morning.  This is a great program we just started offering last year. 

 

11.     LUNCH BUNCH - We are requesting that all families who have “lunch bunch” kids send in a container of wipes for each child.   This will help ensure clean faces and hands for  

         all.  Sometimes napkins just don’t cut it!!  Thanks in advance.

 

12.     Stony Brook has made the first appearance at MCC.  It’s a wonderful addition to our PreK curriculum.  Each year the kids look forward to visits to learn about nature.

 

 

SPECIAL NOTE

Please be aware that our pick-up policy is as follows:  Your child MUST have a written note as to who is picking him/her up if it is someone other than yourself.  That person will be required to show us some form of picture identification.  A child CANNOT be released unless we have a note.  This policy will be STRICTLY ENFORCED.  If you regularly carpool with another parent, you both should submit a blanket statement indicating your arrangement for our records.  Remember, this ensures your child’s safety, which is always our number one priority. 

 

 

WELCOME TO THE FUNNY PAGESJ

1.        Miss Donna took her Todds for a walk to the pond where they were listening to the geese honking.  When she asked the kids what the geese were doing, one little girl piped up, They are barking!”

2.        Mrs. Dowd asked each child in her class who was their favorite baseball team.  One little boy answered, “The Green Bay Packers”.  The funny part of this is that his dad actually works with the Red Sox.

3.        I asked a little boy in Mrs. Lupo’s class how to pronounce his last name.  He said to me, “Miss Robin you can call me anything you want to.”  (So sweet!)

4.        A boy in Mrs. Dowd’s class asked when they were going to “ Pledge to appreciate” the Flag (instead of allegiance).  But that says it all doesn’t it?

5.        When I told one of our 4 year olds her grandfather was picking her up, she laughed delightedly and said, “I love when Bampa picks me up, he always smells my feet!”

6.        Miss Elizabeth said to one of her little guys who was running, “You better slow down young man.”  His response back was, “I am not old enough to be a young man.”

7.        During snack time one boy said to me, “It was so hot outside that I needed two pieces of water!”

8.        When asked what new things his baby sister can do, one little boy responded, “She can pee in her pants.”

 

 

DIRECTOR’S CORNER

By now everyone on the e-mail list should have received at least one e-mail.  If you haven’t received anything at the address/es given, please let me know.  Thanks!!

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Jodi DiNatale for her informative presentation on “How to Keep Our Children Safe”.  Everyone who attended learned a lot of good information.  We always love it when our parents share their expertise with us. 

 

Monthly we’ll be sharing with you funny things the kids say or do in our “Welcome to the Funny Pages” section.  No names will ever be revealed!!  Hope you enjoy the stories as much as we do.

 

For our Fifth Annual Story Night (Wed. 10/15), we ask that you please do not park in Lord’s parking lot.  There is parking in the municipal lot in back of Master Touch.  Thanks very much for your cooperation.  We try to be good neighbors!!

 

As you may be aware, early childhood teachers are required to attend workshops and other types of meetings to keep up in the field.  Each month the staff as a whole does readings usually based around a specific topic.  This past month we all read articles about making the transition to school and new beginnings.  They must have helped because we are off to a terrific start so far! 

 

As a safety reminder, please make sure to close the gate each time you enter or leave, even if there are no children in the play yard.  It gets us all into a good safety habit.  Also, we love our location; the kids LOVE to look outside the gate to see all the activity going on.  However, for safety reasons again, we ask that you hold tight onto all your children before allowing any of them to cross the street.   We thank you for your cooperation.

 

We welcome back to MCC Brooke Corrigan.  She’s been working with us for 3 years as an afternoon assistant.  She’s got her schedule at  MassBay and is able to work at MCC each afternoon.  Your kids will LOVE playing with Brooke.  We are glad she’s able to join us again.

 

As crazy as it sounds, especially after telling you what a great start of the new year we are having, I wanted to let you all know to be looking for notices that our applications for the next school year (2009-2010) will be available in the next couple of weeks.  Each year we request you fill out a new application as it is part of our state regulations.  If you have siblings that you wish to attend, that’s the time to let us know as we give our current families first priority with days and times.  After a month, we open enrollment to new families who aren’t currently enrolled with us.

 

Lastly, we have an on-going fund raiser at MCC. We have some terrific cookbooks that a previous year’s parents and staff contributed to.  They are $10 each and professionally bound.  We’re saving up to put in a new surface to our play-yard.  We’d love to put in a rubber surface rather than the bark mulch.  Periodic fundraiser reminders will be posted in our newsletters.  Together with our new Square One Art Fundraiser that we are in the midst of, perhaps this will be the year!

 

 

CLASSROOM CORNER 

TODDLER CLASS – There are no cuter toddlers anywhere!  We are so pleased with the way the first month has gone.  The adjustment of the children was terrific.  They even know the daily routine.  Who would have thought at just two years old the children know to line up like little ducklings at the blue wall  without even being asked toJ  Each day the children look forward to going on our walk to the pond and having a snack.  It is amazing to see all the different personalities and we love them all in their own special wayJ 

Elizabeth Caputo-NURSERY - Yea for September!  We made it.  The transition to school from summer has gone really well.  The children have learned the daily routine and are figuring out all the new rules.  We have learned a lot this month.  The kids loved telling me all about themselves.  We had fun during Apple Week.  Our applesauce was great!  I want to thank all my parents for bringing in their family pictures.  Also, thanks for doing your homework with the kids.  I love all the placemats.  Next month, look for a sign up sheet for our Halloween Party!  Happy OctoberJ   

Kristin Masterson – NURSERY - Hurray!  We started off September with smiles.  Our class has been having lots of fun talking about letters, shapes, colors, numbers and the weather.  We have been busy learning songs, rhymes and finger plays too!  I think our class enjoyed apple week the most-yum!  (I know I did!)  Thanks for all the support, we are truly lucky to have all these wonderful families. 

Wendy Bennett – PreK - What an amazing start we had to the new sschool year.  The children have adjusted amazingly well.  We started off the year talking about school rules and the importance of all getting along because we are all friends.  We also began with the letter “A” which will continue throughout the year until we get to the letter Z.  We LOVED making applesauce!!  Also, we celebrated Jared’s and Ryan’s 5th birthdays.  Happy Birthday to you both.  A BIG thank you goes out to Brenna Reagan for volunteering her time to read a story with us.  Please see me if you are interested in coming in to either read or do a special project.  We also had another special visitor; Ms. Myla from Stony Brook came in to talk to us about butterflies, how fun!  Looking ahead to October, please be on the lookout for the sign up sheet for our Halloween PartyJ 

Cindy Dowd – PreK - Our class is off to a fabulous start.&nbssp; We have all been very busy making new friends, learning new routines and having fun!  Your children are doing a terrific job with the Pledge of Allegiance each morning.  Ms. Myla from Stony Brook visited and we learned all about butterflies.  Probably the most exciting thing is that we started our alphabet books with the letter “A”-one down and 25 to go!  If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to call me or send in a note.  The best time to reach me by phone is between 12:30 and 1:30.  I am at school from 7:30 to 3:00 every day.  If the first month is an indication, we are going to have a super year.  The children are fantastic.  Hope to see you all at Story Night on October 15th.  Go Red Sox! 

Maureen Lupo – TRANSITIONAL – September is off to a great start!  It’s been a pleasure meeting all of my children and their families.  They are a great group of children and I know that we are going to have a great year.  In October I would like to take a walking field trip to the Fire Station with the children.  In order to do this I will need at least two parent volunteers.  We would leave the school at 9:40 and return around 11:00.  Let me know if you are interested and available.  With 11 active children to transport safely, for this particular event I am asking that no siblings attend.  October also brings Halloween.  We will have a dress up classroom party on the 31st.  There will be a sign-up sheet poster on my hall bulletin board 2 weeks before any party.  October also means Story Night, one of our favorite “night time” events.  The children come in their p.j.’s and go room to room listening to Halloween/Fall books and CD’s.  It is a great time.  I hope to see you all thereJ

 

 

HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN 

PS…

 

THANK YOU FOR:

Arriving to school on time

Checking the parent board for daily messages

Picking up mail from cubbies or backpacks

Saying goodbye to your child, then exiting quickly so we can begin our day with minimum disruption 

STOP AND READ

Sorry for the lengthy newsletter, I will try my best to keep future ones short and sweet.  Please read all newsletters, curriculum sheets, handouts, etc. carefully.  They inform you about our school days and activities and what may be needed.  They will also hopefully answer any questions you may have.  Thank you for your timeJ 

CLOTHES

We ask that all children have a change of seasonally appropriate clothes in their backpacks or cubbies should they have a bathroom accident, juice spill, etc. 

We have lots of fun with art and outside play.  Your child’s clothes may become messy as he or she is busy learning thru exploring, experimenting, and playing with different materials.  Please have your child dress in wash and wear clothing, not special occasion clothing. 

DAYS OFF

We follow the Medfield Public school’s schedule for days off with the exception of their teacher days off and also Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  Because those holidays fall at the beginning of school, we chose to stay open to help maintain the continuity of school routine which helps the children with their adjustment and transition to school.   

MEDICATION

If your child has seasonal allergies or asthma and is given medication before school, please verbally inform his/her teacher or leave a written note so that if your child acts differently than the way he or she typically would, the staff will be aware of the possible cause.  We also appreciate being made aware of other things (such as a parent being away, a sick family member, etc.) that may effect your child so we can be sensitive to extra needs he or she may have. 

PARTIES

For classroom parties, a sign up sheet can be found on the parents’ board outside each class.  We ask each family to sign up to bring in one item for the party so that each child feels he/she contributed. 

QUESTIONS

We understand you may have questions or comments about your child’s day to discuss with the teacher.  Unfortunately, drop off or pick up is so very busy and not the appropriate time to talk about your child’s day beyond a very quick check in.  If you’d like to talk in depth, please call anytime after 12:30.  If your child’s teacher is not available, Robin will arrange the most convenient time for your child’s teacher to call you back.   

SIBLINGS

We love when siblings of our students visit at drop off or pick up, but during special celebrations with your MCC child, we ask that siblings do not attend-in those cases it will be noted on the invitation, or newsletters.  (Please ask about infant siblings who are still young enough to stay in the car seats).  During the events that siblings are welcome, we ask for safety reasons that they remain with you at all times.  If you have any questions, please see Robin.  Thanks for your understanding.