2007-2008 Sunshine Class Welcome Letter

Welcome to a new year at Little Acorn Preschool in the Sunshine Class! We’re so excited that you are signed up to be a part of our class! Teacher Denise and I have lots of fun and your kids will have lots of fun too and they might just learn some cool new things along the way as well. To help us have a successful year I wanted to pass on a few helpful tips before we start. If you have any questions, always feel free to send me an email. I’m on my computer a lot when home. anissen@hotmail.com You are also welcome to communicate with Denise via email: drhodeshz@msn.com

Communication
I can’t even stress how important it is that we as teachers and parents have open and honest conversation with one another. PLEASE if you ever have a question or concern, come directly to me or Denise and talk about it. We are very open to hearing from you. Not sure how something was handled? Let’s talk about it. We promise to be respectful of your thoughts and feelings and we ask that you do the same for us.

Communication is a two-way street. I will provide a lot of opportunities for you to be up to date on what’s happening at Little Acorn and in our class. Every week you will receive a newsletter that will include lesson information as well as upcoming events. PLEASE make sure you read through this newsletter every week to be well informed. Another great place to receive information is our class website. You can link to it from Little Acorn’s home page or just keep this link in your favorites: http://www.sunshine-class.blogspot.com/. This site will contain new photos on a weekly basis as well as keep a running list of upcoming class themes and events. We also have a white board that we keep in front of the classroom with upcoming events. We will provide the info and you will want to do your part to keep up with it so that you don’t miss out on any special things.

I am always available by e-mail. You can e-mail day or night with any type of information you’d like. Tuesday-Thursday we will have an afternoon class and only a quick few minutes to grab lunch so we probably won’t be overly chatty on those days after our morning class, however if there is something specific you’d like to discuss, please let me know. I will provide my cell phone (381-1852) because there are times when you’d like to discuss things but don’t have a chance during school hours. Because I’ve had some families take advantage of that (calling me over holiday breaks while I’m on vacation and on Sunday mornings, etc…), I do ask that you only use it Mon-Fri between 1:00 and 5:00 pm while school is in session. If you need to find information about upcoming events, check our website first. Business-related questions like tuition, tax stuff, enrollment, etc… should be directed to Maria in the office. I don’t answer my phone while I’m at school so if you’re calling to let us know you won’t be coming to school that day, please leave a message in the office.

Other Kids - Conflicts
Please understand that neither Denise or I will discuss other children with you. If your children come home and complain of classroom conflict, please trust that we are aware of the situation and are working to resolve it. We do not just kick students out who have behavioral challenges because we want to help them. I know each of you would hope for that type of understanding with your child so we simply request that you extend that same respect to other families as well.

Drop off and Pick up Times
Our day starts at 9:00 am or 12:15 pm and we get rolling with activities right away. We ask you to please do your best to be on time to class so your child doesn’t miss out on any of our activities. We will provide lots of fun opportunities for you to come and spend time in our classroom but drop off time is not the best time for that. We highly encourage you to converse with other parents in the hallway and get to know one another but for your child’s most successful adjustment, please say your goodbyes at the door and confidently release your children to their classroom. At pick-up time we will open the door when class is over and release your children to you one at a time by calling their name. We’ve found that the easiest way to keep kids safe and going to the right parents in the middle of a crowded hallway. If you have a question at that time, please wait until I’ve had a chance to release all the children to their parents.

First Day Jitters
It’s perfectly natural for both you and your child to feel some anxiety about starting a new school year with new teachers, a new class and new friends. I can’t tell you how much your children’s perception of your feelings matters. If they sense you are nervous to leave them, they will be nervous too. The best way to approach your new class is to talk about what’s going to happen before you get there. Explain that you are so excited for them to be going to school and making new friends and when you arrive and the doors open up you’ll give them a big hug and kiss and say goodbye and you’ll be back to pick them up after their second circle time. If you choose to arrive early, you may want to join others in the playroom for some early morning/afternoon fun and to relieve some of those jitters. They might even cry their first day and I can only imagine how hard it will be for you to say goodbye to your crying child. But I promise you that Denise and I will be sensitive to your children and a quick and confident goodbye even in the midst of tears will help your child adjust quickly to their new surroundings.

Potty-training
Last year when I sent this note out I received several e-mails from families concerned about their un-potty trained child. Please rest assured that it’s ok and that we’re happy to work with you to help your child gain the confidence and skills to begin using the bathroom all on their own! Just make sure you send an extra pair of clothes in your child’s bag each day. Include all the essentials, even socks and a pair of shoes wouldn’t hurt. Still in diapers? Just send a few extra diapers.

Learning
Every child in the Sunshine class is at different stages in their interest and understanding regarding academics. I understand that for some of you, academics is of no importance at this age and others of you are very concerned about the things they are learning. Denise and I are flexible. We don’t ever force academic learning because children at this age are often not ready and we don’t want to burn them out at an early age. They will learn when they are ready to. However, if there is something specific you are concerned with, please let us know and we’ll be happy to look for opportunities to encourage that for your child. For example, last year we had a parent who was very concerned about her child’s ability to use scissors. So we did our best to encourage the child to participate in cutting activities.



Having said all of that, just remember, your kids are young and it’s only preschool! So let’s relax and have some fun! Denise and I have two important goals for this year: To help your child gain confidence and to have positive, happy feelings about school.

Looking forward to a great year!

Teacher April Teacher Denise