Welcome to Preschool!
We hope you and your child enjoyed the summer and that you are ready to embark on an important milestone in your child’s Preschool life. Preschool is a time of growing socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually. Our partnership will make this a wonderful year of growth for you and your child. Below you will find some important information about our Preschool class.
Arrival Procedures: You will meet your classmates and teacher(s) in the meeting spot each day. Once your child has arrived, you will be greeted by your teacher at 8:05am and then say goodbye once the bell rings and we will go inside as a class.
The school bell will ring at 8:15am and 12:15pm and we will walk as a class to the Quigley building to begin our day of learning.
If you arrive after 8:20AM and 12:20PM, you will check in at the main office and so the school notes that your child is on campus.
Pick up Procedures: We will dismiss preschool classes at 11:15am and 3:15pm each day. To ensure the safety of children and families each class will have a designated meeting spot for pickup. Please wait for the teacher to bring your child to you as we want to dismiss in an organized and safe way.
If your child will be picked up by someone other than their immediate family, please let your child’s teacher know ahead of time. If you will be picking up your child early please check in at the main office and they will come get your child for you.
Snack: Each child will bring their own lunchbox or bag with a snack and water bottle. Everyday each child will be provided with a sanitized tray during snack time. Food will not be shared with others. Often preschool children are very hungry during the day and we ask that they are provided with hearty and healthy options. We will not be able to heat up any food and please include an ice pack. Please note: We are a peanut / tree nut free preschool.
Communication: Each Friday your child’s teacher will email a newsletter that shares the objectives, experiences and the “ah-ha” moments that our class enjoyed that week. This newsletter will also contain upcoming events, dates and any other important information. We also send home a weekly take home folder which will contain completed work, notes from the teacher or school. Please send those back to school the next day with your child.
We encourage you to visit and explore our school website https://st-johnschool.org. There you will find a calendar of school events, volunteer information, Parent Association information and much more. You can also access our classroom page through the school website.
Birthdays: CELEBRATE YOUR CHILD AS A “GUEST READER”…Family members are invited to be the “GUEST READER” on the day of your child’s designated birthday celebration. We’d like to encourage each family to bring in their child’s FAVORITE book to read and possibly donate that book to our classroom. Please sign and date your book inside the cover as a lasting memory of your child’s birthday in Preschool!
CREATE A “BIRTHDAY POSTER” with your child …In addition to reading your child’s favorite book, we would like to ask that you help your child create a poster board with your child’s name and a picture for every year your child is old. For example, if your child is turning 5, they would glue or tape 5 pictures on their poster board—1 picture as an infant, 1 as a one year old, 1 as a two year old, 1 as a three year old, and one as a four year old etc. Children should come prepared to tell us a little something about their pictures!
Our collective feeling is that this will be a really rich and wonderful way to truly celebrate each child’s birthday. Summer birthday children will be given a day to celebrate during the school year.
Scholastic Book Orders: This is a monthly book order!All orders are done online. Order Books here! Our class code is NQLT2.
SCRIP: Please help our school earn money by becoming involved in our scrip program! You will receive a list of all the company partners soon. Scrip orders will be taken throughout the week and received on Fridays. You may contact the wonderful ladies of St. John Scrip at: stjohnscrip@st-johnschool.org.
Attendance: If you child is going to be absent from school, please fill out the attendance form on the St. John website.
Toys: Please make sure all toys or trinkets are left at home, unless it has been requested for a special activity. Thank you!
Helping your Child Feel Independent: Coming to preschool is an important milestone in your child’s life. We will encounter many new experiences. One of our goals is to help your student become a responsible and independent learner. Each student will be asked to carry their own bag and to hang up his or her jacket and change their shoes by themselves. Please do not worry if your child needs help, we will practice. I am sure you agree that hearing your child say “I can do it all by myself!” is a great feeling. Thank you very much for helping your child grow.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns at any time during the school year. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you need anything. The best way to reach us is by email.
Vanessa Castillo; vcastillo@st-johnschool.org
Ali Baber; ababer@st-johnschool.org
Tasha Boldon; tboldon@st-johnschool.org
We are looking forward to getting to know all of you and your children.
Warmly,
Ms. Castillo, Ms. Baber, Ms. Boldon