|
From the Director’s Desk: aka Paulette’s little office cupboard
Spaces available at RPNS Spread the word that we have spaces available in our Toddler, Junior Preschool and 3Day Senior Preschool classes. Many RPNS families heard about our program from other families! Are you in need of extra days for your child on a casual basis? See Paulette to discuss various options. Barefoot Books Book Fair Thank you to everyone who shopped on Oct. 27 & 29 and ordered items! If you missed out, orders can be placed directly to Dina https://www.barefootbooks.com/events/view/16874/riverside-park-nursery-school-fundraiser/?bf_affiliate_code=000-05st-16874 National Child Day 2016 – November 20th This year’s theme: “It’s our Right to Belong” fits in perfectly with Ontario’s Pedagogy “How Does Learning Happen?” foundation of Belonging where Belonging refers to a sense of connectedness to others, an individual’s experiences of being valued, of forming relationships with others and making contributions as part of a group, a community, the natural world. The children will create a mural with painted hand prints! For more information, check out: https://nationalchildday.ca/about-national-child-day/ REMINDERS FOR PARENTS: The cold weather is coming and we want to enjoy outdoor play! Kindly ensure that your child is appropriately dressed with warm coats, splash pants/snow pants, hats, mitts (no attached strings please~ strangulation hazard), neck warmers (safer than scarves). Label everything, please! Mitten clips are available at Boomerang Kids on Bank Street and Growing Kids at Billings Bridge. See the Mabels Labels link on our website home page http://mabelslabels.com/. All children need to have a full set of extra clothing in their school bags (remember the undies and socks!) DONATIONS! Did you know that because Riverside Park Nursery School is a registered Charity, that you can direct your United Way donations directly to us? Simply provide our non-profit business number on your United Way donation form BN 119120822RP0001 Canadian Tire Money is used to purchase maintenance items so feel free to drop off any CT monies in the box provided on the Communication Table. By placing Scholastic Book orders through RPNS you are actually providing the teachers with free coupons for Educational items. Scholastic Books make great holiday gifts! To ensure delivery before Christmas, have your orders in by Nov.18. Too much Halloween candy?!! Donate it to the school and we will use the candy to decorate our Gingerbread Houses in December. The children’s beautiful houses are donated to a local senior’s home. “Christmas is for Sharing” ~ The children will experience the “gift of giving” by decorating boxes filled with donations for children at a local Head Start Nursery School. A complete list of needed items will be posted shortly in the hallway. DATE NIGHTS! What is a Date Night you ask? It is an opportunity for parents to drop off their child/ren at the nursery school from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Parents go off and have a ‘date’ while the children enjoy a fun-filled evening that includes dinner. Paulette and volunteers are here to ensure that a great time is had by all. Children also like to wear their pajamas! Our first “Date Nights” of the year takes place on Friday, Nov. 11th. Tell your friends about it too! A child does not have to be currently enrolled at RPNS to participate. Sign up on the list in the hallway or send an email to rpns@rogers.com to reserve a space! Cost is $35 per child (with $15 for each sibling). Proceeds go towards the nursery school. Our next Date Night will be on Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Great opportunity to do some holiday shopping! RPNS Holiday Giving Tree *by filling up our “Giving Tree”! Our beautiful wall art tree needs many more leaves. Donators to our RPNS Future Fund will always be remembered as a leaf in their honour is placed on our “Giving Tree”. Want to give a special gift to someone this Christmas? Purchase a “leaf” in their honour and we will send them a holiday card letting them know that they are now part of our “Giving Tree”. Donate an amount that suits you: $25 to $50 ~ buys a bronze leaf; $51 to $100 buys silver leaf; $101 and up buys a gold leaf. (tax receipts provided to the donor) Remembrance Day ~ Nov.11 The nursery school is open for business on Friday, Nov.11 Christmas Concerts! SAVE THE DATE!! Mark your calendars for Monday, Dec. 19 & Tuesday, Dec.20 for our annual Christmas Concerts & Parties starting at 9:00 am. Your whole family is welcome to attend! The nursery school will be closed Dec.26, 2016 to Jan.6, 2017 inclusive for the Christmas Break. Bonjour, September went by very fast; the children are doing well and they are starting to learn some new French words. Here are a couple of songs that we are going to be learning this month.
Si tu aimes l’Halloween (sur l’air de If you are happy ..) Si tu aimes l’Halloween Frappe tes mains, Si tu aimes l’Halloween La citrouille, et la sorcière, Si tu aimes l’Halloween Frappe tes mains. Frappe tes pieds, Sauté sur place Vieille sorcière (air: Frère Jacques) Vieille sorcière (bis) Que fais tu? (bis) Je mange une citrouille (bis) Crique, craque, croque (bis) La sorcière (air: London Bridge) La sorcière fait Hi ! Hi ! Hi ! (3 fois) La sorcière fait Hi ! Hi ! Hi ! Le soir d’Halloween. Le squelette fait Clac ! Clac ! Clac ! (3 fois) Le squelette fait Clac ! Clac ! Clac ! Le soir d’Halloween. Le fantôme fait Hou ! Hou ! Hou ! (3 fois) Le fantôme fait Hou ! Hou ! Hou ! Le soir d’Halloween. Le chat noir fait Miaou, miaou, miaou (3 fois) Le chat noir fait miaou, miaou, miaou Le soir d’Halloween. From the Director’s Desk: aka- her NEW little cupboard in the smaller closet- Paulette Young, RECE We certainly enjoyed the beautiful weather this September! The school year is off to a good start but we do need to fill more There in our Toddler, Junior Preschool and 3Day Senior Preschool classes, so kindly spread the word! Just a few friendly reminders from the Director: * Not getting any emails from us? Check your Spam box as emails from some RPNS are sent through our child care management system (noreply@varitechsystems.com). Please do not reply to this email. Replies to this email will NOT be responded to or read. If you have any questions or comments, contact us at rpns@rogers.com *Kindly notify the Director should your child be absent from school. *Should your child be staying in After Care after 12:00 pm, kindly provide a nut-free snack for them. *Check your child’s folder in the Communication Box located in the hallway on a daily basis. Take home all art work and papers. Fall Clean Up takes place on Saturday, October 22 starting at 10:00 am. Bring your rakes! Many thanks to all the parents and families that helped clean up the play yard on Sept. 10 for the new school year! Community Fall Festival at the Hunt Club Riverside Community Centre on Saturday, Sept. 10 was terrific fun! Parent volunteers and RPNS alumni children were there face painting children of all ages! Givng Thanks: Ottawa Food Bank Fall Food Drive Kindly bring in non-perishable food items to the nursery school before October 7. Boxes will be in the hallway for your generous donations. A reminder that the nursery school will be closed on Monday, October 10 for Thanksgiving Day. Pumpkin Carving The children will get their hands gooey by scooping out the seeds from pumpkins on Oct. 25 & 26. Thanks in advance to the parents volunteering on these days and pumpkin donations are welcome! Pumpkin Parties With Halloween landing on a Monday this year, we will be celebrating this fun time of year with parties on Thursday, Oct.27 and Friday, Oct.28. Family members are welcome to attend a morning of games, fun sensory activities and yummy snacks (See the food sign up poster in the hallway)! We will also be setting up a Fall Forest Walk and thus think it best that children not wear costumes at the Pumpkin Parties. Instead, children may wish to wear a costume or a hat on Monday, Oct. 31 and Tuesday, Nov. 1 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR APPRECIATION DAY! Give our teachers on “big hug” on Wednesday, Oct.26 to let them know how much they are appreciated! *Date Nights – current and alumni RPNS families & friends are encouraged to have a ‘date night’ on Friday, Nov.21 from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Children will enjoy a supervised dinner and evening of fun activities while their parents go out on a real date (when was the last time you had that opportunity?!). Cost is $30 per child ($20 per sibling) with all proceeds going towards our RPNS Fund. RSVP at rpns@rogers.com with Paulette Young, the Director and see the Date Night sign up display in the hallway. Save the date for the next Date Night on Friday, Dec. 2! Scholastic Canada Book Orders: October catalogue order forms and payments (cheques written out to Scholastic Canada) are due Oct. 17. See the “More” tab on our homepage for guidelines on how to pay for your Scholastic books online. ***NEW**** RPNS Forest School Friday Pilot Project! Forest School is different from other outdoor learning experiences in two ways. First, Forest School takes place in the same setting on a regular basis over an extended period of time. This gives students the opportunity to learn a great deal about the area and enables them to develop a lasting connection with nature. Taken from; “Forest and Nature School in Canada Guide” pub Forest School Canada, July 2014 Eight RPNS children along with Paulette, Lisa and parent volunteers are exploring the woods of Otterson Park every Friday for this pilot project. The Forest and Nature School (FNS) pedagogy focuses on children learning through play in a natural, outdoor setting. During our first session held on Sept. 23, we observed the children discovering nature in the forest….from finding a worm to wondering how high a grape vine was growing on a tree! FNS ties in perfectly with Ontario’s pedagogy “How Does Learning Happen?” and its four foundations: Well-being- studies show that children who spend lots of time outdoors (year round) are healthier Belonging – being outdoors in a natural environment, connects us back to our natural roots. FNS lets children appreciate nature and form empathic relationships with all things in the forest. Expression- children are free to express themselves freely in an area where the boundaries are larger than a typical classroom and the ceiling is endless! The outdoor environment leads to questioning, running, and lots of sensory explorations. Engagement- all the ‘loose parts’ (sticks, rocks, pinecones, leaves) that a forest provides, allows children to engage in all types of play ~ from manipulating objects to build structures to using natural materials in dramatic play (where the stick become a magic wand!). We are really excited about this Pilot Project that will continue all this year and welcome your inquiries and feedback! Toddler and Junior Preschool Newsletter Our newsletters begin in October because the month of September is a “getting to know you” month. Learning new routines and various degrees of separation anxiety are prominent during the month of September so the newsletter is a better indicator in October. The Junior Preschool group (which includes some children who have previous experience with our program) is working well together. We introduced name tags (first name) at the snack table and many of the children are already beginning to recognize their names and are able to sit in the appropriate chair. In preparation of our mandatory fire drills we ask the children where they are, and model the answer “Here I am” when they hear us say their name. We also ask them to put up their arm so that they can be seen and heard. Sometimes children have difficulty using their voices so the arm in the air insures a visual and non-verbal form of safety. The Toddler group is beginning to settle into the program. The initial all out crying is leveling out and becoming sporadic bursts during the morning. Transitions (movement from free play to snack time, snack time to outdoor classroom, bathroom changing, door opening and closing) are notorious for causing new rounds of tears. Learning to self-regulate during these moments are important for teaching them how to cope with stress. Routines, modeling social behavior, and creating and maintaining supportive, reliable relationships help children deal with these stressful moments. As educators we aim to provide you and your child with a growth-promoting environment which offers children the support or “scaffolding” that helps them practice necessary skills before they must perform them alone. We are now using the Seesaw program to communicate with all our parents. This is a new for us, so please allow the staff to get used to this form of message system. Our past systems of documentation and communication with parents have all been in a written format. Changes in technology have encouraged us to move to this computerized photographic system. It is our hope that it will help us all realize the infinite forms of learning that your children are experiencing when attending their preschool program at RPNS. The photos and videos that you will be receiving will be tagged with messages from the educators. It is our hope that you will recognize these pictures as some of the memorable moments of “learning” that your child is experiencing and practicing during our morning program. We are basing our photos on the Ontario government’s pedagogy called “How Does Learning Happen”. The 4 foundations and explanations of their meaning is displayed on our bulletin board which is on the wall when you enter the program. We also follow an Emergent curriculum. The list of materials that we started with at the beginning of the year are also posted on this bulletin board. When we follow the children’s interests we add or change these materials (which will be documented on these same cue cards). The emergent curriculum allows the educators to follow the children’s focus and enrich the classroom according to the children’s interests. A few words from Tina Welcome to October! The children have all settled in nicely to the program. We have two lovely groups. It has been an awesome September. A real treat for me! During the month of October we will be looking at concepts related to fall and of course, Halloween! At circle time, the group will play “Pumpkin Patch” as a way to continue with turn-taking activities. We have already been cooperating and working with others: I can’t wait to see what the kids have in store for me next!! Socialization and effective communication with adults and peers are my main focus right now. Emergent curriculum has us watching the children closely and we are slowly phasing in new activities. Here are our Halloween songs: 5 Little Pumpkins 5 little pumpkins; sitting on a gate. (Hold up 5 fingers) The first one says “Oh my! It’s getting late”. The second one says “There are witches in the air!” The third one says “Well we don’t care!” The fourth one says ”Let’s have some fun!” The fifth one says “let’s run and run and run! “Woooooooohhhh” went the wind and (loud clap) out went the light. And 5 little pumpkins, roll out of sight (roll hands) HOO! (Tune: Farmer in the Dell) The owl goes hoo, (cup hands to mouth) The owl goes hoo, Hi ho on Halloween, the owl goes hoo. Other verses: The ghost goes boo (wave hands out in front) The bats go eek (flap arms) The pumpkin rolls around (roll hands) The scarecrow waves good-bye (wave) September’s Newsletter
From the Director’s Desk: aka- her little cupboard in the closet- Paulette Young, RECE Warm welcome to all our new and returning families! September is off to a great start! There are spaces in Toddler, Junior Preschool and 3Day Senior Preschool so kindly spread the word! Just a few friendly reminders from the Director: * Not getting any emails from us? Check your Spam box as emails from some RPNS are sent through our child care management system (noreply@varitechsystems.com). Please do not reply to this email. Replies to this email will NOT be responded to or read. If you have any questions or comments, contact us at rpns@rogers.com *Kindly notify the Director should your child be absent from school. *Should your child be staying in After Care after 12:00 pm, kindly provide a nut-free snack for them. *Check your child’s folder in the Communication Box located in the hallway on a daily basis. Take home all art work and papers. Fall Clean Up takes place on Saturday, October 22 starting at 10:00 am. Bring your rakes! Many thanks to all the parents and families that helped clean up the play yard on Sept. 13 for the new school year! Community Fall Festival at the Hunt Club Riverside Community Centre on Saturday, Sept. 10 was a blast! RPNS staff and parent volunteers were there face painting children of all ages. Thanks so much to all for your help! Scholastic Canada Book Orders: September catalogue order forms and payments (cheques written out to Scholastic Canada) are due Sept. 23. See the “More” tab on our homepage for guidelines on how to pay for your Scholastic books online. The 2016-2017 school year will see RPNS implementing a Forest School Friday Pilot Project. Paulette Young, Director, attended a week long Forest School Canada Practitioner’s Course in August. As part of the certificate program, she is obligated to facilitate Forest School sessions with a group of children and eight RPNS parents volunteered to have their child participate in the pilot. This pilot project will also determine: *whether the learning outcomes of Forest School pedagogy are valuable for the children? *is the church property and surrounding city of Ottawa forested areas suitable locations for a future permanent Forest School? *should RPNS Future of the School Committee consider a Forest School Program instead of our current new child care centre building plan? *should we consider looking for interested stake holders and funders for a Forest School Program? *how can we work with the Ministry of Education’s Quality Assurance Branch to consider licensing Forest School Programs? Definitely a busy but exciting year ahead as we explore the forest! Many thanks to parents who have volunteered their time and gave permission for their children to participated in the pilot. September Newsletter From Dulce: Bonjour, Welcome everyone, I hope you all had a nice summer. Please bring a family picture for our class photo album, a picture for the name tags and a summer picture for the children to talk about it. The children will be introduced to French by playing games, familiar songs and stories. Here are a couple of the songs that we will learn this month. L’araignée Tikki L’araignée Tikki monte à la gouttière Tiens voilà la pluie Tikki tombe par terre Mais le soleil a séché la pluie … L’araignée Tikki remonte à la gouttière. Tête, épaules Tête, épaules, Genoux, orteils, Genoux, orteils, Genoux, orteils, Tête, épaules, Genoux, orteils, Yeux, nez, Bouche, Oreilles. Merci Dulce The past 10 months have gone by very quickly and we are enjoying our last month of the school year! Weather permitting, we will be learning in our ‘outdoor classroom’ as much as possible. Time for sunhats and sunscreen. June 9th and 10th will be “Aloha Days” with slushy drinks! Should your child have a summer birthday, no worries as we will celebrate the June, July and August birthdays all together on June 14 & 15! June also brings with it a time for celebration! Riverside Park Nursery School’s graduation ceremonies are currently being planned, and it promises to be an emotional event! Parents…don’t forget your tissues! Save the dates: June 23rd and 24th ! *** Please note that the last official days of nursery school are June 23 and 24. *** Ducklings and Butterflies…oh, my! Our child got to enjoy two ‘life cycle’ science projects this year: Eggs to Ducklings and Caterpillars to Butterflies. Patience was required to wait the 28 days (or 28 sleeps!) while the eggs stayed warm in an incubator placed in our Before & After Care/Circle Time room. Paulette came to the nursery school on Mother’s Day to check the eggs and to her surprise, there was one duckling! Three more soon followed for a total of four ducklings. The children enjoyed visiting the ducklings and watching them swim in a big bin of water. After 5 days staying with us here at RPNS, the ducklings went to TBG Petting Farm (Prince of Wales and Bankfield) to live with the other ducks and assorted animals. While the ducklings were hatching, our little caterpillars arrived via FedEx! It didn’t take them long to become big caterpillars. When they entered into the chrysalis stage, we put them in an aquarium tank for all to see them emerge into Painted Lady butterflies. They will be released in our play yard to fly away! Next year, we might try raising Preying Mantis!  Toddler and Junior Preschool Newsletter June 2016 May was a busy and exciting month. The ducks kept us busy, seeing the eggs in the incubator and then experiencing them hatching and coming out as baby ducklings! We even got to watch them swim when Paulette put a pan of water on the floor and allowed the children to sit in a circle around them. When the ducklings went back to the farm, it was time to watch the caterpillars get larger and larger then form their “J” shaped chrysalis’ and finally come out as Painted Lady Butterflies. We watched as the butterflies spread their wings and flew out of their terrarium and away into the woods to find flowers full of nectar. All the children participated in the Mini Spartan activities and enjoyed the medal ceremony which celebrated their many athletic skills. Our outdoor classroom helps develop running, jumping, biking and climbing skills when the children play in our natural environment. The work that was done during our Spring Cleanup provided the yard with a new climbing ladder and logs that make perfect balance beams. Thanks again for all the cooperative work that was done by parents to make our outdoors a wonderful learning environment. We have come to the end of our school year. We are looking forward to many more outdoor days in June, with painting, water play, bubbles, bikes, running with fairy wings, and watering our wonderful pumpkin patch. We are looking forward to, perhaps picking our own pumpkins for Halloween in the fall. Family Fun day is coming up this Saturday June 4 and then we have our Graduation Days, Thursday June 23 and Friday June 24. We will be saying goodbye to some friends and happy to be greeting returning families in the fall. Thank-you for a wonderful year, and have a happy and safe summer. From Dulce June’s Newsletter The school year is coming to an end. The children are moving on to a new stage in their lives and even though it may feel overwhelming at times, they are ready for the new challenge. I wish them the best and I will miss them very much. I always enjoy when they come for a visit on PD days. We will spend as much time as we can outside, please make sure the children have sunscreen on and are wearing a hat. This is one of the songs that we will learn this month: Petit poisson (nage, nage, nage) Petit poisson, petit poisson, Nage, nage, nage, Petit poisson, petit poisson, Gloup, gloup. gloup Oh non! Il est mangé par une … Belle pieuvre, belle pieuvre, Nage, nage, nage. Belle pieuvre, belle pieuvre, Gloup, gloup. gloup Oh non! Il est mangée par un… Barracuda, barracuda, Nage, nage, nage. Barracuda, barracuda, Gloup, gloup. gloup Oh non! Il est mange par un … Grand requin, grand requin, Nage, nage, nage, Grand requin, grand requin, Gloup, gloup. gloup Oh non! Il est mange par une … Grosse baleine, grosse baleine, Nage, nage, nage, Grosse baleine, grosse baleine, Gloup, gloup. gloup “BURP” Excuse-moi … A Few Words from Tina
May, where did you go?? I can’t believe this is the last newsletter of the school year! As you may have guessed, the end of the year has snuck up on me again……I guess we were having too much fun! The rest of June will be spent outside. Mother Nature, please cooperate. Our programming is focused on Sea Life. I will dust off Mitch the Fish and see who remembers the story! We will be busy preparing for Father’s day, Aloha Days and our Graduation Ceremonies. With the end of the year fast approaching, please let me take this opportunity to thank you all for allowing me to be a part of your children’s lives. I have enjoyed myself tremendously! To those families leaving us for Kindergarten; we will miss you, but we know your children are ready for a new and exciting challenge. Please visit us and show us how much you have grown! Thank you parents for your support and enthusiasm; as you know, we couldn’t have done it without you! I leave you with one of our favourite circle singing games. Have a great summer! I have a little Pony. (Make a circle holding hands around the “pony”) Swing hands back and forth and sing……. “I have a little Pony I feed him oats and hay,” “I open up the stable doors and let him out to play” (everyone raise their hands, letting go and the Pony gallops out of the circle and around the room) (Clapping) “He gallops here, he gallops there, galloping, galloping everywhere. He never stops until I say “Whoa Pony! My Pony whoa!!” (Pull back on your imaginary reins) and then call “Come back Pony!” and the child returns to the circle. Repeat with the next child. Mitch the Fish Once there was an orange fish named Mitch who could change color with the swish of his tail. All he had to say was, “I’m Mitch the fish. I swim and I swish. And I can change my color if I wish.” One day he was swimming around on the ocean floor and he saw a red lobster. He thought it would be fun to be a bright color like the lobster, so he said, “I’m Mitch the fish. I swim and I swish. And I can change my color if I wish.” Suddenly he turned red. The lobster said, “I’m the only sea creature who can be red. I’ll snap at you!” So Mitch decided he didn’t want to be red anymore. Just then he saw a yellow starfish, so he said, “I’m Mitch the fish. I swim and I swish. And I can change my color if I wish.” And with a swish Mitch turned yellow. The starfish said, “I’m the only creature who can be yellow. I’ll prickle you!” So Mitch decided he didn’t want to be yellow anymore. Mitch saw a blue whale swim by so he said, “I’m Mitch the fish. I swim and I swish. And I can change my color if I wish.” Mitch turned blue. The whale said, “I’m the only creature who can be blue. I’ll spout water on you!” So Mitch decided he didn’t want to be blue anymore. Mitch decided to turn black like the shark. “I’m Mitch the fish. I swim and I swish. And I can change my color if I wish.” And with a swish he turned black. But the shark said, “I’m the only one who can be black. I will poke you!” Finally, Mitch says: “I’m Mitch the fish. I swim and I swish. And I can change color if I wish. Mitch changed back into being an orange fish again. Because being yourself is the very best thing you can be!
Life Cycles Science From Egg to Duckling! On April 13, 12 duck eggs arrived at the nursery school along with an incubator which was set up in our circle time room. The children can see the eggs through a little window on the incubator and they checked the temperature and humidity each day. It takes 28 days for ducklings to develop and they should be hatching on May 10. From looking at the eggs with a flashlight in Paulette’s dark office room, we saw that 2 of the eggs were not fertilized and thus no chick was growing in the eggs. In the other 10 eggs we can see ducklings developing although we will have to wait and see which ones will hatch. After they hatch, the ducklings will visit with us for a couple of days before they head back to the farm to be with other chickens. So make sure you check out the ducklings before they leave. Beautiful Butterflies! We have ordered little caterpillars that should be arriving via FedEx during the second week of May. The children’s task is to place the little caterpillars in a butterfly house and take care of them every day. We will watch them eat, poop (which they do a lot!) and shed their skins. In a couple of weeks, the caterpillars will pupate, which means that they will form a chrysalis and sleep. We will have to wait a little bit longer to watch them emerge from their chrysalis as Pink Lady Butterflies! These lovely butterflies will continue their life’s journey as we release them in our play yard. Be sure to visit our Butterfly Science Station to see this amazing event! Mini Spartans Race Week at RPNS! This has become an annual event to raise money for our building fund! To promote healthy active living for the children, we will be holding a training week here at the nursery school from May 24 to 27 with daily obstacle courses. Our ‘Mini Spartans’ will be running, jumping, hopping , balancing and crawling around fun obstacles both indoors and outdoors! Each child will have a pledge form and we ask that you get family, friends, neighbours and co-workers to sponsor your child as ‘Mini Spartan’ Ambassadors for healthy active living (all proceeds to the RPNS Building Fund). On Thursday and Friday of this Mini Spartan Week, all children will receive medals for their efforts! Kindly return pledge forms and donations to the nursery school by May 27. RPNS Promoting Healthy Children and Families! With the hard work of parents Frank Hartmann and Sammantha Gordon, RPNS is excited to start a Speakers Series this year! Our first one takes place this month and we need you to spread the word. A few more parent volunteers will be needed the day of the event…kindly let Paulette know if you can help out. Riverside Park Nursery School Speaker Series When: Saturday, May 28, 2016 7:00 pm Where: Riverside Park Nursery School 3191 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, ON K1V 8N8 Speaker: Dr. Yoni Freedhoff Topic: Swimming Against the Flood: How the World We've Built Challenges Our Children's Health and Weight Dr. Freedhoff will discuss how the world we’ve built challenges both kids and parents alike in living healthful lives, and the few first steps we might all try to take to do something about it. Question and answer period to follow. http://bmimedical.ca/dr-yoni-freedhoff-10-13-2015 How to register: rpns.eventbrite.com Dressing for Outside With spring arriving later this year, our play yard tends to be damp and muddy early in the morning. Splash pants for your child not only keep their clothing clean but they also help to keep the inside of our nursery school clean! Time to put away the winter hats and bring out the sunhats! Please apply sunscreen to your preschool child before coming to school. The preschoolers start their day outside and it is recommended that sunscreen be applied 15-30 minutes prior to sun exposure! If needed, we will apply Green Beaver Kids brand sunscreen to the children.
Time for Trikes and Ride On Toys! We are bringing the bikes out of their winter storage so remember to bring in your child’s bike helmet. The children need to wear a bike helmet if they want to ride a bike. Are you a Garage Sale fan? We are looking for wheelbarrows, shopping carts, wagons for our play yard. So if you see one in good shape, pick it up please and we’ll reimburse you. J  RPNS GRADUATION CEREMONIES Mark your calendars, book off work and bring your tissues!!! June 23rd and 24th are the scheduled Graduation ceremonies for the children. This is a very special event! These dates also mark the last days of school. (This is a good opportunity to go through our school’s Lost & Found and reclaim any items you may have forgotten! Remember to take all art work, helmets, toys, etc. home with you! Otherwise, these items will be donated to a local charity.) Parents and family members, come celebrate with us in recognition of your amazing children and all their scholastic accomplishments! More details will follow, so please remember to check your child’s file in the communication box!  FAMILY FUN DAY! Join all the current and new (2016-2017 school year) families on Saturday June 4. More details on this event to be provided shortly. We are collecting small prizes for the games (dollar store items, fast food place toys etc.). 2016-2017 RPNS SCHOOL YEAR ENROLMENT Thanks for preregistering your children for the next school year! We currently have spaces available in Toddler, Junior Preschool, Senior Preschool and just a few in 3Day French Introduction. Most families hear about RPNS through ‘word of mouth’, so kindly let all your friends, co-workers, family and neighbours know about our great program! Should you have not provided your registration package for September to Paulette, kindly do so asap. Thanks! Tuition Fee Payments for 2016-2017 School Year This September we will only accept Pre Authorized Payments for Monthly Tuition Fees. Registration Fees, Program Fees and Before & After Care Fees will be paid by cash or cheque. Kindly see Paulette to obtain your PAD agreements. Complete your PAD agreement, attach a VOID cheque and return it to RPNS. Your first tuition fee payment (for September tuition) will be processed on August 1, 2016. Forest School Pilot Project ~ October 2016 Paulette has been accepted into the Forest School Canada Practitioners Course this August in New Brunswick. As part of the course requirements, Paulette will need to practice the Forest School pedagogy with a small group of 6 to 8 children starting in October. Forest School is based on the belief that children should spend the majority of their days outdoors, with nature as the learning environment. RPNS is fortunate to be located in beautiful surroundings of forested areas and near to a river. Paulette plans on facilitating this pedagogy on Fridays (thus we’ll call it Forest School Fridays!). Parents interested in having their children participate will be provided with reading material, permission forms and a list of appropriate outdoor clothing for their child come September. For children attending our regular 3Day preschool programs, there will be no extra fee for participating in Forest School Fridays. For children attending our regular 2Day preschool programs, there will be a $25 fee per Friday. (fees will be waived for parents who wish to be a Forest School Pilot Project volunteer). See Paulette if this interests you! http://www.forestschoolcanada.ca/home/professional-learning-opportunities/practitioners-course  From Lisa and Janet Toddler and Junior Preschool Newsletter May 2016 One thing for certain about Ottawa and Canada in general, is that we always have the weather as a topic for conversation. Our spring has been up and down which makes dressing for outdoor play a challenge. We would like to thank all our parents for continuing to send splash pants and boots, hats and mittens and various layers of jackets and sweaters which help support our efforts to provide a healthy amount of play in our outdoor classroom. We have been enjoying the flowers that are coming up and the worms that are putting oxygen in our gardens and the robins that are looking for sticks and grass to build their nests. We have observed the wind blowing our pin wheels and have found buttons that belonged to our snow people. When we ask what happened to the snow people, the children look at us in surprise, and say, “They melted, and turned in to water, and dried up. Don’t you know that?” So many natural experiences happen outside. It will be wonderful when the weather is warm and we can get out the bubbles and water play tables. We can paint outside and make new woven streamers for our fence. Inside we have been observing duck eggs incubate to birth. The children saw the eggs in the incubator and then watched as Paulette candled the eggs. She and an educator took a few children at a time and showed them how the egg looked inside by holding a flashlight to the egg. She has posted this procedure on our Face Book page. Our veterinarian office has become a kitchen again. Our observations show that the children really enjoy the food at the table, the stove, the bathtub, bed and high chair for the dolls and the sink and dish drainer! They love to cook, eat, feed and bathe the dolls! Just like home. Our student, Cassie, from Algonquin College, noted that the children enjoy the construction hats and tools. From this observation she is planning the Block and Floor Toy area using the construction table, and hollow blocks. It will be interesting to see how the children use these materials. When the ducks hatch it will be time to watch the caterpillars grow into butterflies. Paulette orders caterpillars and they will go into a terrarium which will allow us to watch the process of metamorphosis. In our room our snails have been very active and we have brought in our Wooley Bear caterpillars from their outdoor hibernation, in the shed. They are in a wonderful clear box so that we can all watch them (hopefully) become cocoons and then reappear as moths; another metamorphosis. Indoors and out, we continue to celebrate the wonders of the seasons and nature. From the desk of Paulette Young, Director (aka little office cupboard!)
Welcome SPRING! RPNS Science Experiments~ Learning about Life Cycles Eggs and an incubator will be arriving at the nursery school at the end of April and little caterpillars are being shipped to RPNS in May. Very engaging activities for the children to experience the life cycles of creatures. Engagement suggests a state of being involved and focused. When children are able to explore the world around them with their natural curiosity and exuberance, they are fully engaged. Through this type of play and inquiry, they develop skills such as problem solving, creative thinking, and innovating, which are essential for learning and success in school and beyond. (How Does Learning Happen, Ontario Pedagogy) Mini Spartans Race Week at RPNS! To promote healthy active living for the children, we will be holding a training week here at the nursery school from May 24 to 27 with daily obstacle courses (indoor and outdoor!). Our ‘Mini Spartans’ will be running, jumping, hopping , balancing and crawling around fun obstacles both indoors and outdoors! Each child will have a pledge form and we ask that you get family, friends, neighbours and co-workers to sponsor your child as ‘Mini Spartan’ Ambassadors for Healthy Active Living.(all proceeds to the RPNS Building Fund). Please check your child’s file for pledge forms by mid April. Well-being addresses the importance of physical and mental health and wellness. It incorporates capacities such as self-care, sense of self, and self-regulation skills. (How Does Learning Happen, Ontario Pedagogy) Reminders: Back packs should be at school every day and should contain the following items:
Show and Share Show and Share is on April 7th and 8th for all the groups. Please provide an item that is labelled with your child’s name. Make it something that your child can tell us a little about. Just a few words are all it takes to provide your child with enough confidence to speak in front of a group! Expression or communication (to be heard, as well as to listen) may take many different forms. Through their bodies, words, and use of materials, children develop capacities for increasingly complex communication. Opportunities to explore materials support creativity, problem solving, and mathematical behaviours. Language-rich environments support growing communication skills, which are foundational for literacy. (How Does Learning Happen, Ontario Pedagogy) 2016-2017 School Year Registration: Many thanks to our currently enrolled families for promptly returning registration packages! If you haven’t done so, kindly do asap to confirm your child’s space. Visitors during our Open House Week said that they heard about RPNS through our families….so thank you for spreading the word! There are some of spaces available especially in Toddler and Junior Preschool for September 2016. Volunteers Needed! As a cooperative nursery school, all parents are required to volunteer their time for special events and housekeeping duties (on top of scheduled duty days). Many thanks to the dedicated families that have helped out in various ways so far this year. For those of you who have not had any opportunity to contribute thus far, we have two major events coming up that require many volunteers:
Donations of small toys and prizes: we will need lots of small toys (new or gently used) for prizes on Family Fun Day. Drop them off in the labelled box by the Communication Table. PARENT ~ TEACHER INTERVIEWS Are you interested in discussing your child’s progress and development? Parent-Teacher Interview Sign-up sheet will be posted in the hallway. For Dulce’s French Introduction classes, interviews will take place April 18 to April 22. For our other teachers, interviews will take place May 2 to May 13. GRADUATION DAYS! You certainly don’t want to miss your child’s graduation, so here are the dates to put on your calendars and in your Blackberries: ~ Toddler and 2Day Preschool Classes will graduate on Thursday, June 23 ~ Junior and Senior Preschool Classes will graduate on Friday, June 24 These dates are also the last days of the school year. Belonging refers to a sense of connectedness to others, an individual’s experiences of being valued, of forming relationships with others and making contributions as part of a group, a community, the natural world. (How Does Learning Happen, Ontario Pedagogy) Lost & Found We seem to have collected an assortment of dishware (from our Christmas Concerts?) and other treasures. Please check the “Lost & Found” shelf above the French Intro class cubby area in the hallway and bring your treasures home. J Changes to the Child Care & Early Years Act of Ontario The RPNS Board of Directors recognizes that new mandates in the Child Care and Early Years Act have created challenges for parents in regards to duty day participation. Our cooperative spirit is the foundation of our nursery school and parent participation (doing the laundry, helping with maintenance, cleaning up the play yard etc.) help keep the costs of our program down and thus keep monthly tuition fees affordable for families. However, participating in duty days may not suit working parents; parents with infants; or parents caring for elderly relatives. The new mandate of parents as Teacher Assistant requiring First Aid & CPR certification may also impede participation in duty days. Therefore, we are piloting a Duty Day Opt Out for the senior preschool programs. Parents who opt out for duty days will not be included in the monthly duty day rosters and will pay an extra $40 per month in tuition fees to offset the cost of extra staff member being hired by RPNS to maintain classroom ratios. Parents who opt out for duty days will still be required to volunteer in other aspects of our program (see Volunteer Choice Form in registration package). Note that there will be a limited amount of Duty Day Opt Out spaces per class. The Duty Day Opt Out is not available for our Toddler and Junior Preschool programs as the parent volunteers for these classes are not part of required ratios. RPNS staffs these programs to meet the ministry ratio requirements (1:5 for Toddler and 1:8 for Junior Preschool). Therefore, the parents for these programs are seen as volunteers and thus do not require First Aid & CPR Training. First Aid & CPR Certification Training The proposed change in the Act for 2016: For greater clarity, amend the regulation to set out that the requirement for standard first aid certification, including infant and child CPR, applies to: - Supervisors of centres; - Individuals present at the child care centre who are counted, on a regular or irregular basis, towards meeting ministry ratio requirements as set out in Ontario Regulation 137/15 Since duty day parents are included in ratios for cooperative nursery schools, this means that parents participating in duty days will require First Aid & CPR Certification. Parents are responsible to obtain and pay for this certification. RPNS will set up a training date here at our program this spring. Kindly let Paulette know if you are interested in participating. Toddler and Junior Preschool Newsletter April 2016 Our outdoor classroom is a great place to be! We were able to make “snow benches” using our shovels, so that we could watch the wind turn our pinwheels and blow our weaving ribbons that are attached to our fence. The compost is still of interest and we like to monitor our pumpkins, squash and leaves on a daily basis, if the weather permits. We painted our snow people and watched the water drip, from the roof which made a huge puddle. We measured our snow that was captured in a bucket. The ruler said 20 centimeters of snow had fallen! We brought it inside; we watched it melt and measured the water level. It was 9 centimeters. It is important for our plants to get lots of water, so now we know how important it is for us to have lots of snow so that the plants can get the water they need to grow in the spring. Richard Louv, (Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder) expresses outdoor play this way; "The physical exercise and emotional stretching that children enjoy in unorganized play is more varied and less time-bound than is found in organized sports. Playtime—especially unstructured, imaginative, exploratory play—is increasingly recognized as an essential component of wholesome child development.” Please continue to dress your children in weather appropriate clothing. We will always be prepared to go to our outdoor classroom, if it is above -20 degrees centigrade and not pouring with rain! Our indoor room is full with; dinosaurs, dolls for bathing, dressing and undressing, sand and trucks for digging and dumping, play dough, paint, scissors and glue. The science table has dinosaurs hatching from eggs, ducks and ducklings, flashlights and magnifying glasses. The tape measures are pulled out, reeled in and now used for “measuring” on a daily basis. Construction hats, sunglasses and gloves are usual wear when carrying the tool boxes that go all over the room, so that tables, puzzles even dinosaurs can be “fixed”. We are all ready for Spring to take hold, so look for some “apple blossoms" on our tree that will be created at the art table to help the season along. The children have been very interested in the spruce cones that they have collected and put down the umbrella hole on the picnic table. There is now quite a pile of cones under this table. Lisa wanted to do some planting, inside, for our room and to take outside, for our outdoor classroom. The children have learned that the seeds for the spruce tree (which is huge and overlooks the back area of the yard) are inside the cones. We will include some of these along with fast growers such as regular grass seed and curly cress in our pan sized growing areas. We would like the children to be able to move them around in a specified area of the outdoor yard. They will be able to move rocks and plants around to make their own gardens. Following our emergent curriculum, we introduced dinosaur eggs, when the children started talking about baby dinosaurs. We dyed hard boiled eggs for Easter. We had lots of talk about baby ducks and chicks coming from eggs. We will continue with the baby themes using farm buildings and farm animals. We hope to be getting some eggs to hatch, from a local farmer. Last year we hatched chickens. We hope we can get some duck eggs this year. Springtime is Coming Springtime is Coming, Springtime is Coming, Where does springtime come? Up on the mountains, (put arms up to make a mountain) Down in the valleys, (bring arms down and make a u-shape) And right here at home! (Hug yourself) This is a traditional Japanese song. We will sing it with the xylophone, and the drum. Perhaps we will introduce some “egg shaped” shakers to our percussion instruments which will add to our different kinds of eggs. Introduction to French Senior Preschool From Dulce April’s Newsletter Bonjour, it seems that spring is finally here and we are going to spend more time outside. Please make sure the children wear splash pants and rain boots because the yard is still very wet. These are a couple of the songs that we will be learning. Si tu aimes les dinosaures (Air: Si tu aimes le soleil) Si tu aimes les dinosaures, frappe des mains (clap-clap) Si tu aimes les dinosaures, frappe des mains (clap-clap) Si tu aimes les dinosaures, gros et petits, Si tu aimes les dinosaures, frappe des mains. Si tu aimes les dinosaures, tape des pieds (boum-boum) Si tu aimes les dinosaures, saute sur place (hop-hop) Si tu aimes les dinosaures, fait les trois (clap-clap, boum-boum, hop-hop) Le Dino-boggie (Air: The Hokey Pokey) Je mets le dinosaure en avant. Je mets le dinosaure en arrière, Je mets le dinosaure en avant. Et je fais de petit ronde Je danse le boggie, boggie et je tourne en rond Et puis je fais un grand saute (boum!) Senior Preschool From Tina Dinosaur Month is finally here!! We will be looking at as many dinosaurs as I can name and look up! We will talk about their special characteristics and what foods they like to eat. This is an excellent topic for some great emergent curriculum…..we will follow the lead and interests of the children as much as possible. Where will they take us this time?? Camping! That’s where! We are going to try and pair the two ideas and see how it works out. I hope we don’t get eaten!! Here are a few songs we will be learning. Oh I Want to Be a Great Big Dinosaur (To the tune of: "I Wish I was an Oscar Meyer Wiener") Oh I want to be a great big dinosaur, That is what I really want to be! For if I were a great big dinosaur, Everyone would run away from me. . . Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! Additional Verses: stomp away from me crawl away from me slither away from me The Dinosaur Song Dinosaurs lived long ago, Long ago, long ago. Dinosaurs lived long ago, And now they are extinct. Tyronnosaurus was a carnivore, carnivore, carnivore. Tyronnosaurus was a carnivore, And he ate only meat. Apatosaurus was a herbivore, Herbivore, herbivore. Apatosaurus was a herbivore, And he ate only plants. 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 Open House on March 24. During the week of Feb.29 to March 4, let Paulette know which class you wish for your child. Check our website on March 10 to download a registration package. www.rpnsottawa.com Hand your completed registration package along with payment to Paulette asap. 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. Senior Preschool (either the 2 morning or 3 morning options as above 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.....preregister your child! March Break Reminder that the nursery school is closed for the March Break of March 14 to 18. Enjoy your week! Easter Holiday Closures We are closed Good Friday, March 25 and Easter Monday, March 28. March Weather Snow? Sunshine? Rain? Whatever the weather, we plan on spending as much time outside as possible this month! Our very cold/rainy January and February months keep us indoors too long. Please ensure that you child is dressed appropriately for the weather conditions each day! Special Events in March *March Birthday Celebration Days ~ March 8 & 9 *March 10 & 11 ~ Wear green! *Easter Egg Dyeing~ Easter is early this year, so we will dye our eggs March 23 & 24 *Group Circles~ March 31 and April 1 (which is April Fool’s Day…so watch out!) Changes to the Parent Cooperative Style of Nursery School Riverside Park Nursery School is a licensed child care program through the Ministry of Education. As of August 31, 2015, the new Child Care and Early Years Act came into effect. A new requirement in this act states that all duty day parents (or family members, caregivers replacing the duty day parent) are trained in Standard First Aid and Level C CPR. This new policy is required to be fully implemented by September 2016. On top of this we learned from the Ministry of Education of Ontario that there have been inconsistencies on the ministry's part in regards to the correct number of duty day parents required to maintain parent cooperative nursery school ratios. Many of us have been using the 12 preschoolers/1 RECE/1 duty day parent for years (RPNS for the past 40 years!). Apparently nursery schools in the eastern region of Ontario were misinformed years ago by our program advisors in allowing these ratios. The ratio in other parts of Ontario has been 12 preschoolers/1 RECE/2 duty day parents. The ministry wants consistency in the province and thus has enforced these new ratios. So this basically means more duty days for parents to do each month. At a recent Nursery School Network of Ottawa meeting, we were saddened to hear about the high number of parent cooperative programs planning to change their formats to non-cooperative for the 2016-2017 school year. These programs cited the increased number of duty days and First Aid training requirements as reasons to why parents no longer want to participate in their child’s classroom. Our Board of Directors recognizes that the family structure in 1971 (when RPNS started) is different from today. This past December, you were asked to participate in a survey regarding First Aid Certification. Although 73% of current RPNS parents surveyed were willing to ensure that they are first aid trained, we realize that the survey does not reflect on future families. The survey also indicated that 68% of parents were interested in a Duty Day Opt Out (paying a higher monthly tuition fee and having no duty day responsibilities). We certainly don’t want to lose our parent cooperative style, but we recognize that providing families with participation options will ensure the viability of RPNS. Thus, the Duty Day Opt Out will now be included in our registration package along with the requirement of First Aid & CPR Certification (like Criminal Reference Checks requirement). From Dulce March’s Newsletter Bonjour, the children had fun this month with the story of “The Mitten”, they even presented it at group circle for the whole school. Here are some of the songs that we are going to be learning. Les grenouilles sautent dans l’étang Les grenouilles sautent dans l’étang ah, ah, (2x) Les grenouilles sautent dans l’étang; elle saut pas haut mais elles sautent souvant ah, ah, ah Petit Lapin (Frère Jacques) Petit lapin (x2) Viens ici (x2) Je veux de bon bons (x2) Yum, yum, yum (x2) Si tu aimes le soleil ! Si tu aimes le soleil tappe tes mains (2x) Si tu aimes le soleil le printemps qui se réveille Si tu aimes le soleil tappe tes mains Si tu aimes le soleil, -tappe tes pieds -crie hourra -fait les trois Easter / Pâques frog / grenouille canard / duck Egg / oeuf rabbit / lapin baby chick / poussin To jump / sauter From Tina March Newsletter 2016 Winter is flying by and we have wasted no time at all! The children have been progressing very nicely in the Preschool program. They have been working hard at spelling their names orally and some are moving towards writing them as well. We are awesome! March is an odd month and very short. We will be focusing on Easter and some animal facts. We will continue to work on counting and letter recognition. I will introduce the story “The Mitten” to the children as our group activity and they can act out the animal roles. It will be over before you know it! Here is our Easter song: 5 Easter Rabbits (finger play) Five Easter rabbits standing by the door, One hopped away, and then there were four. Four Easter rabbits standing near a tree, One hopped away, and then there were three. Three Easter rabbits looking at you, One hopped away, and then there were two. Two Easter rabbits enjoying the sun, One hopped away, and then there was one. One Easter rabbit sitting all alone, He hopped away, and then there were none. Enjoy! Tina 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 RPNS JANUARY 2016 NEWSLETTER
From the desk of the Director, Paulette Young Happy New Year and best wishes to all of you for 2016! January brings a new year with new changes….we said “good bye” to a couple of our RPNS families but we are happy to welcome new ones this month. Winter Outdoor Play Outdoor play with plenty of fresh air keeps children healthy and active! We still play outside in winter; enjoying sledding, shovelling, making snow angels and snowmen. When the temperature dips below -20*C (including wind chill) or the city of Ottawa has sent out a frost bite advisory, we will stay indoors. Paulette checks the temperature at the Environment Canada Weather Line 613-998-3439. Kindly ensure that your children are dressed appropriately for the weather. Tuition Receipts Tuition receipts will be prepared this month by our child care management system, Child Care Pro. The receipt will sent to you via email from noreply@varitechsystems.com in February (check you spam box). The amount on the receipt covers tuition fees paid in 2015 (note: registration fees and activity fees are not part of tuitions) Another set of receipts will be provided in June 2015. Nursery School tuition receipts can be used for income tax purposes under Child Care. Keep your receipts as there is a $15 administration fee for additional receipt requests. THANK YOUS Our “Sister Program” Holiday Sharing Program was a great experience for everyone. Thank you for you kind donations! They were very much welcomed by the children of Annavale Headstart Nursery School. Everyone had lots of fun decorating the gingerbread houses on Dec. 17 and 18 with help from some volunteer parents (thank you!). Thorncliffe Place Retirement Home warmly welcomed the little houses and they brought some cheers for the seniors. Our Christmas Concerts and Parties were successfully fun due to the efforts and talents of the children, teachers and parents who provided food and applause! A big “Thank You!” to Santa who still managed to get here by sleigh without any snow! Heartfelt thanks from all the teachers for all the lovely gifts, warm hugs and donations to our “Giving Tree” we received from RPNS children and families! Date Night! Need some alone time with your partner after the busy holiday season? Reserve you space for our next date night on Friday, Jan.8 from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Parents must register their children and pre pay by Jan. 6. (your space will only be guaranteed with your pre payment!). We will have fun with a New Year’s Pajama Party Theme! Sad News about our Hermit Crabs Our hermit crabs had been doing well until the beginning of December when they started burying themselves in the sand of their habitat for extended periods of time. At first, we didn’t find this unusual as they had secluded themselves in the past. Big Fella had looked for a new shell home, but then decided to return to his old one (empty shells of various sizes are provided in their habitat). We decided to leave them at the nursery school for the holidays (they had visited RPNS family homes during the summer months) instead of disturbing them. I came in to check on them and found Big Fella dead. Speedy and Mousie had buried in the sand and were also found expired. Why this happened is still a mystery as they were no changes to their hermit habitat/food/water recently. However, hermit crabs are very sensitive creatures and they may have come in contact with a contaminant or just got sick. We had adopted these hermit crabs from a child care centre, so their exact age was unknown. The children were told that they had died so they may talk about this at home. Death can be a difficult topic for us adults to talk to children about, but it is better to answer their questions truthfully. Good bye, Big Fella, Speedy and Mousie…we will miss you. January, 2016 Toddler and Junior Preschool Newsletter Welcome to 2016! Our Christmas Concerts and Parties, went well and we thank all the children and their families for bringing their joy and cheer with them to make our goodbye to 2015 a grand success! We will continue to go outdoors as much as the weather allows. The warmer and rainy weather has helped our compost. The pumpkins have disintegrated (“broken into small pieces” as one of the children stated) and we have been able to stir the leaves with sticks which has helped with the decomposing process. Our two Woolly Bear Caterpillars have finally curled up under the leaves inside their container. They need to hibernate during the winter to be able to cocoon and turn into Tiger moths in the spring. We will still check them each day we go outside to watch this hibernation process. We will embrace the weather whatever it may be. The physical abilities that are encouraged through outdoor play not to mention the corresponding bond with nature are huge factors in the positive overall development of children. We will go outside if the weather permits, down to -20 degrees Celsius. Please ensure that your child is dressed suitably for the weather. The full enjoyment of outdoor play, especially in the winter months, is directly proportional to the appropriateness of outdoor clothing. Indoors we are continuing with the children’s attentiveness with anything that has wheels and dressing, undressing and feeding the dolls! The construction trucks and driving track has a huge attraction and the toy tool boxes are out to help with any repairs that are needed during the morning. The musical mats, which encourage jumping and hopping, seem to be the physical activities that are inspiring the children at the moment. The set of stairs between the block and everyday living areas, are still providing some of the toddlers with a developmentally appropriate activity. The sensory bin will contain bowls of water and toys frozen into ice. Turkey basters, eye droppers, spoons and mittens will be available for the children to use to try to get the toys out of the ice! Fine motor and observations skills are just two developmental processes that immediately come to mind with this activity. The posters on the wall that are at child sitting levels are there to help the children settle while getting dressed and undressed. These posters document the children’s activities with their photos. The posters foster conversations and memories as the children wait for their friends to get ready. In keeping with the Emergent Curriculum our materials and activities will continue to follow the children’s interests. If the resources in the room change that indicates a change in the children’s needs and behaviours. From Dulce... Introduction to French Senior Preschool January’s Newsletter Bonne année, I hope you all had a relaxing holiday. This month we are going to focus on fine and gross motor. We may even try some yoga posses. Here is one song that we will be learning. Promenons-nous dans le bois Pendent que le loup n’y est pas Si le loup y était Il nous mangerait Mais comme il n’y est pas Il n’nous mangera pas Loup y es-tu? Que fais-tu? Entends-tu? Je mets ma chemise… Je mets ma culotte … Je mets ma veste … Je mets mes chaussettes … Je mets mes bottes … Je mets mon chapeau … Je mets mes lunettes … J’arrive ! Vocabulary: Tuque, chapeau/ hat pantalon de neige / snow pant Manteau / coat bottes / boots Mitaines / mittens chandail / sweater Neige/snow flocon de neige / snow flake A few words from Tina... Senior Preschool Hello Everyone! This January, we are going to be changing things up a bit. Welcome to our “Get Motoring” month! We will be focusing on both gross motor and fine motor activities in the classroom. I predict an increase in climbing and cutting skills!! The activities may seem a bit strange at first glance, but they were carefully selected for the children from a lot of observation. At circle time. We will turn our focus to “concepts”: colours, numbers, days of the week, shapes, opposites and rhyming. We will, of course, do this in the most fun way possible! We cannot ignore winter and one of my favorite stories to read during the winter months is “A Snowy Day” by Ezra Keats…..the children can relate very well to the main character! Here is a poem and a song that we will be learning: Heave Ho Heave Ho! Buckets of snow! (sweeping arms together: Loud voice!) The Giant is combing his beard (soft voice) The snow is so high (up on tip toes), that it touches the sky (swoop down with arms and curl up around knees), and the world disappears . Chubby Little Snowman (action rhyme) A chubby little snowman, (Hold hands out to demonstrate "chubby.") Had a carrot nose. (Point to nose.) Along came a bunny, (Hop like a bunny.) And what do you suppose? (Shrug shoulders; hold out hands, as if to question.) That hungry little bunny, (Rub stomach.) Looking for his lunch. (Hold hand above eyes, as if searching for something.) Ate that snowman's carrot nose, (Pretend to eat.) Nibble, nibble, crunch!! Enjoy! Tina |
