March 2022 Newsletter
Happy March to all our families! Hopefully we start to see some warmer days as we move into spring, but then again, we live in Alberta so who knows what weather will be thrown at us. Now is a wonderful time to begin conversations with the children about the changing of seasons and the lengthening of days. As the year goes on, we continue to see the wonderful growth and changes the children go through. They continue to explore and learn not only about the environment but themselves as well; this brings a sense of fulfillment, as Maria Montessori once said, “The greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”
As we are sure you all know, there have been changes to the Alberta Covid restrictions and mandates. Even though the mask mandate is over, some staff members may to continue to wear masks in the classroom, and at the door; we are leaving it up their personal choice. Our cleaning and sanitizing protocols here at school will remain unchanged as we are still dedicated to keeping our school a safe and healthy environment! Our sickness policy will also remain the same: if your child is showing any signs of illness, please keep them at home for 24 hours or until they show improvement. If your child is showing any symptoms or signs of illness at school, we will contact you to pick them up as soon as possible. We will keep your child separated from the others until you arrive.
*RE-REGISTRATION FORMS*
Re-registration forms for the 2022/2023 school year will be sent out next week. Please complete and return the forms by the date on the form: March 21st 2022.
You will notice a few changes:
- Anincrease of 3% starting September 1st This increase has been set by the Alberta Government to help off-set the increased administrative workload caused by the new affordability grant. This is the first fee increase for Angel Wings since it started three years ago.
- A change to the programs available.
- A change to our summer months fee policy.
St. Patrick’s Day:
St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17th, which falls on a Thursday this year. We will discuss the history and traditions of St. Patrick’s Day with the children. Have your child wear something green, or with rainbows and leprechauns to school. You can also pack a fun, green, themed snack or lunch for your child to have at school. We will be doing themed crafts and works in our classrooms.
HAIR SCRUNCHIES& JEWELRY
Please be aware that going forward, elasticated, cloth hair scrunchies, and jewelry, such as necklaces, will no longer be accepted at the center. These items are causing distraction in class and can be a safety and a choking hazard. Keeping jewelry at home also prevents favourite items from being lost or broken. Thank you.
Medications:
If your child is requiringany medication to be given at school, then we require thatyou fill out our Medication Administration Permission Form for items such as:
- Prescription medications such as antibiotics
- Medicated lotions and diaper cream
- Inhalers
- Eye or ear drops
- Antihistamines
- EpiPens
We cannot administer medication to your child without the form being filled in, so please ask a member of staff for a form; these forms are kept in a binder at the door for easy access. Medication must be in the original container bearing the pharmacy label, the child’s name, the name of the drug, the date of purchase and the dosage prescribed, and the doctor’s name. Medication will be administered according to the labelled directions. Any unused medication will be returned to the parent in the original container. Expired drugs of any type will not be administered under any circumstances. Medications will be sent home at the end of each day for the duration of the medication, so please be sure to ask for it at pick up time. Please place the medication and the signed form in a zip-lock bag and write your child’s name on the bag. Please hand it directly to the teacher at the door so that we can place it in our locked medicine box – medication cannot be left in the child’s backpack.
It is extremely important that we closely follow our medication administration policies so that we are not only in compliance with our licensing regulations but also that we care for the health and safety of your children. Your children’s health and safety are our number one priority as we do everything possible to ensure the well-being of your children.
Sounds of the Week:
Each week we are focusing on one letter sound. Please bring in a different object each day of the week, in a named Ziploc bag. The object should be based on reality, so please leave the stuffed toys and cartoon characters at home. Life-like miniatures or models, names of familiar people, places, photos and even a word are fine to bring, as long as it contains the sound that we are listening for. Remember we are looking for the sound that the letter makes, not its name. The sound can be at the beginning, the middle, or at the end of the word.
March 7th: v as in volcano, velcro, velvet.
March 14th: w as in well, wagon, watermelon.
March 21st: x as in box, fox, socks. (For this week we are looking for
sounds that make the ‘x’ sound, NOT necessarily words with the letter x in them. Remember, xylophone makes a ‘z’ sound! You can bring objects that have the ‘x’ sound without the letter such as socks and rocks.
March 28th: y as in yellow, yarn, yak.
Teacher’s tip! Have your child carry a basket or a box around the house during the weekend, and help him/her collect 5 objects for that week. This makes it easier for your child to then take one object from the basket to bring to school each day.
COMING UP SOON!
*April 4th: z such as zoo, zebra, freeze
*Alphabet Buffet: Wednesday April 13th – details to follow in April’s newsletter
*Centre closed for Easter weekend –Friday April 15th, and Monday April 18th.
Birthdays this month:
Dawson, Kipton, Robyn, Gabriel and Preston.
If you would like us to celebrate your child’s birthday in class, please send us a quick email.
Music with Miss Tessa:
This month we are learning about music from East Coast Canada!
We will be continuing rhythm sticks and introducing the use of scarves. The instruments we are learning about are the bagpipes, fiddle, and Irish whistle.
Miss. Tessa.
Important Reminders!
- If your child is experiencing any changes to their home life, please let us know, send an email or SeeSaw message! This can include anything from moving house, a parent being away, family in town, changes in their sleeping habits, or anything else that can cause a change in your child’s routine. Often times when the children experience changes at home it affects them at school as well. If you keep us updated on such things then this helps us to better take care of your children and understand and monitor changes in their moods and behaviour.
- March fees are due on March 1
- With the spring weather being so unpredictable, please ensure your child is dressed properly for the day so that if we go outside, they can join us.
- Send your child with enough snack to get them through the day. If you notice your child often comes home with nothing left in their lunch bag, consider sending additional snacks to school. The children have such busy days at school that they may eat more than they do at home.
- Please continue send a water bottle (labelled with their name) and cutlery everyday for your child.
- Bedding needs to come in at the beginning of every week for your child as we do not have any bedding to give them if it is forgotten. Ensure the bag is big and sturdy enough for the child to be able to pack and unpack it independently.
- Please do not pack a pillow for your child for naptime; we do not have the space for bulky items.
- Please label each item your child brings to school with your child’s name.
- If your child is transitioning to wear cloth underwear, please dress your child in clothes that your child can easily push down and pull up by themselves. We want your child to develop independence in the bathroom and to rejoice in their success. Pants, such as joggers, are ideal as they are easy for the child to manipulate, especially in a hurry!! Stiff clothing, or clothing with layers, buttons and belts can cause frustration and hinder progress in the bathroom.
NEW STAFF MEMBER:
We would also like to announce the start of a new member of our staff. Miss Mikayla will be starting in middle of March, so you may see her around or hear your children talking about her! We are excited for her to start as this means our center is continuing to grow as we welcome in new children. Each time we add to our amazing team it gives us a chance to grow and strengthen our practices as we learn.
Teacher training update!
You may recall that over the last 4 weeks we have implemented a switch in cohort teachers in the classrooms: to enable Miss. Nicole to practice with the intermediate and advanced Montessori materials for her diploma: to enable Ms. Michelle to have professional development with Mrs. Joce on intermediate materials: to also allow Mrs. Joce time out of the classrooms to make objective observations around the school. It has been an enlightening experience for all of us, but more importantly, your children are benefitting from this temporary change in cohort teachers as each teacher brings different ideas and skill sets to the classroom.
Thank you again for your continued support and patience as we continue to navigate the government changes, improve our policies and practices – hence the lateness of March’s newsletter.
Mrs. Divya, Mrs. Joce, Miss Nicole, Ms. Michelle, Miss Glynnis, Ms. Diana, and Miss Tessa.