February Newsletters

From the desk of Director, Paulette Young, in her little office cupboard

Lots of February Fun this month, so be sure to check out our February Calendar of Events!

PREREGISTRATION  for 2016-2017 RPNS school  year!
Yes, it is that time of year again to consider registering your child for next September.  RPNS offers currently enrolled families the opportunity to formally preregister their children prior to our community Registration Night on March 30.

During the week of Feb.29 to March 4, you can pick up 2016-2017 Registration Forms at the Communication Table.  Complete the form, attach the required cheques and drop it in the file folder at the front of the blue Communication Box.  “First come, first served.”  

Registration options: 

Toddler (2 mornings: Tuesdays & Thursdays) aged 18 months to 2 ½ years.  Junior Preschool (3 mornings: Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays) aged 2 ½ to 3 years. 
(a 5 morning Toddler/Junior Preschool option is also available.  See the Director)
Senior Preschool (either the 2 morning or 3 morning options or 5 mornings) aged 2 ¾   to 5 years. 
French Introduction (same options as Senior Preschool) **child must turn 3 years of age by October 31, 2016.  Note: Developmental age of the child is also considered, see the Director for approval.

Don’t wait and be disappointed.....register your child!

Floating Subsidies ~ parents who qualify for subsidized child care and wish to enroll their child at RPNS, must first register on the City of Ottawa’s Child Care Waitlist
http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/social-services/daycare/daycare-services
 
OPEN HOUSE WEEK ~ March 2 to 6   10:00 am to 11:00 am each day
Let all your neighbours, friends and family know that they can check out our nursery school during this week.  We will give morning tours and we will answer their questions about our great program.  About 80% of our clientele heard about RPNS from other families....so thank you for spreading the word!

2016-2017 RPNS REGISTRATION NIGHT ~  Wed. March 30   7:00 pm
New families to the school are encouraged to formally register their children for our next school year.  Our French Introduction classes fill quickly, so spread the word!


Valentine’s Day

Families that wish to bring in Valentine cards for their child’s friends may do so (no candy please).  Kindly just address the cards “To my friend” (or no address at all) instead of individual students names.  This helps speed up the process of hand delivering cards (a very nice social activity for the children). We will celebrate Valentine’s Day and February Birthday Celebrations with cake on Feb.11 & Feb.12


PICTURE DAYS!

Carpediem Photography will be here starting at 9:00 am on Feb. 17 & 18 to take individual and class photos of the children.  There is no sitting fee and parents will receive the proofs.  No obligation to buy, just a service we provide (not a fundraiser).   If interested, Carpediem will also take sibling and/or family photos on these days as well.  Kindly see Paulette to indicate your interest. 
Note:  there is no photo retake day here at RPNS but arrangements can be made at the Carpediem Photography location.  Bring your SMILES!
www.photocarpediem.com
 
FAMILY DAY Monday, Feb.15

The nursery school will be closed on Feb.15 in recognition of Family Day.  We wish all families a wonderful day!   Feel free to send us photos of what your family did on Feb.17.

Date Night!

​Fun activities on Friday, Feb. 12 from 5:30 to 8:30 pm while parents go out on a Valentine Date.
Parents must register and pay in advance. 
All proceeds go to our Building Fund.
 
***Tax Receipts for 2015 year ~ you will receive your 2015 tuition fees receipt shortly.  Kindly note that receipts are emailed to you from our child care management system.  Sender will be noreply@childcarepro , so be sure to check you spam boxes!
 
Chinese New Year ~  We will celebrate with rice noodle snack using chopsticks on Feb. 8 & 9!  This is the year of the monkey; known for ‘playfulness’.  How appropriate for our pedagogy of How Does Learning Happen? and ELECT that states:
“Play is a means to early learning that capitalizes on children’s natural curiosity and exuberance.”

 
From Janet and Lisa

Toddler and Junior Preschool  February 2016 Newsletter

    The Philosophy of following an Emergent Curriculum Program is a very interesting process. The thought that the Educators are researchers and partners in a child's exploration of the world gives you a different feeling of participation in a child's development. Parents are the first and longest participants in their children's lives. We feel it is important for you, as parents, to know that we ( Lisa and Janet) are honoured that you feel comfortable enough with the environment at the school to bring your child(ren) here. We have always been keenly aware that the  environment   (in the rooms/school) has a very important role in setting the tone for play. Much thought goes into all our materials in the rooms. Each day we discuss how materials were used. Our visual and written observations ( the ELECT doc.) help us determine whether to add, take away or change our materials.
Lisa is the photographer, who is taking all the wonderful pictures, which are being used to document our daily experiences.

    Documentation is another Emergent Curriculum idea. We have always documented the children's art work, but when  children see themselves playing in these photos, they have a real starting point for conversations. They see themselves dancing and singing in the large room with all the groups and realize it was okay.  There is no reason to be worried about Group Music Circle. Security and conversation all in one photo document! 
We have some documented photos of the children taking off their outdoor clothing. We have the time to allow the children to figure out how to do this for themselves.  Becoming independent at removing boots, snow pants, mittens, etc. is emergent curriculum.  While the children spend time trying, persevering and developing fine motor skills, we are there to start a zipper, help with a sleeve and give support and encouragement as they learn how to undress/dress in the winter weather.

    Lisa attended a workshop that was presented  by Alyson Schafer (alysonshafer.com). She is  an author and therapist who discusses issues that are relevant to parents and educators about many of the challenges that occur as children develop. Lisa was particularly impressed with the way that Alyson saw mistakes as a human way of learning. Allowing children to make mistakes ( of course nothing that is life harming or damaging) provides them with the opportunity for change. New skills provide a chance to experience the world.  Less anxiety about making mistakes helps give children the confidence to try new opportunities.

    Over the last month we have added tool boxes, construction helmets, measuring tapes, ice cream parlor food, hats for the dolls, snow people felt pieces and stacking owls to our everyday materials. The flashlights that were at the science table have been used to light up the snow globes, the pictures on the wall and make shadows on the tables and floor ( not in our eyes). A flashlight will be used as part of our gross motor play which includes a cardboard box that is the groundhog's home. The flashlight will be the "sun" that shows the groundhog his shadow!

    Our tradition for recognizing Chinese New Year will be reflected with the materials on the science table, everyday living area and magnetic and felt boards. Both the felt and magnetic boards will have stories about monkeys in keeping with the children's interest (monkeys jumping on the bed) and 2016,the Chinese Year of the Monkey. Our sensory bin will contain rose petals and hearts and we will participate with all the classes to make a friendship quilt using pastels to make drawings on quilt sized squares. Dulce, from the French Introduction class, puts the pictures together to make lovely Friendship Quilts which will be displayed on the walls of the school.

    The following is a song we sing as the children take turns; crawling into the Groundhog box, looking around out the top of the box and turning on the flashlight to see a shadow.
​
Here's a Little Groundhog (tune: I’m a little teapot)
Here's a little ground hog, furry and brown,
He/she is coming up to look around,
 If he/she sees a shadow down she/he goes,
Six more weeks of winter, Oh! Oh!


From Dulce:
February's Newsletter
 
    Bonjour, January went by very fast and it had been a good month to enjoy outside play. The children have been having fun sledding, shoveling and building forts. I hope February will have enough snow so we can keep enjoying the weather. We will read the story of “The Mitten” and I will encourage the children to act out the story. Here are some of the songs that we will be singing.
 
Monsieur l'ours
Monsieur l'ours reveille toi
Tu as assez dormi comme ca
Et a trois attrape moi
Un, deux, trois !
 
Mon petit Coeur  (Air: Frère Jacques)
Mon petit coeur (bis)
Fait boum-boum (bis)
Il est plein d’amour (bis)
Juste pour toi (bis)



A few words from Tina

    Our February program is filled with friendship and a love for all things related to the Chinese New Year. We will be using our newly acquired fine motor skills to cut, cut and cut some more!

    At circle time, we will be continue looking at the concepts of colour and shape, as well as working on letter recognition and counting.  Many of my friends can already spell their first name and those of their peers! Give it a try at home. If your child is not there yet, please work on it a little every day. Once the associations are made, there will be no stopping them!

    We will also be focusing on friendship and what it means to be a good friend. This includes: allowing people to have their own space and to make their own choices; speaking politely to others; using kind language when expressing your needs; and learning to be “neighbourly” / being a member of a community and what that entails.

    Our song this month is dedicated to friendship and being someone’s special Valentine. We will make it into a singing game (a favourite at circle time!)
 
Who will be my Valentine
Here we go round the Mulberry Bush)
​
Who will be my Valentine? Valentine, Valentine?
Who will be my Valentine, Who will be my friend?
--------------------- will be my Valentine x 3
--------------------- will be my friend.
 
Tina
​