Tuesday 16 December 2014

Merry Christmas! 2014

A note from Jen McEneany   Coordinator
Thanks Dessert Gems for donating this fab cake to our auction!

Christmas is such a special time at preschool. I love walking through the hallways and hearing the children singing "Jingle Bells' and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" (or the theme song from Frozen!) and looking at all the beautiful artwork up on the boards. The Christmas Services were fantastic and I think you will all agree that the children were so sweet up there performing! A HUGE THANK YOU to Laura our new music teacher for putting together her first Services and of course Marion who helped at every step of the way to make sure that everything ran smoothly as well as our teachers who worked so hard to make sure that the children knew their songs and were taken care of on the night.

This month we have been working on putting together a very special Christmas hamper for a family in need on the North Shore. This year our family consists of a mum with twin 3 year old boys. We know that they are going to be extremely excited to receive this hamper full of toys and surprises as well as gift cards to Real Canadian Superstore and Walmart so that mum can go out and buy the groceries she needs this Christmas. Your generosity will make this family's Christmas much brighter!
Yummy worms and dirt cake!


We would also like to say thank you to all our parents for their support over the past few months from helping out in the classrooms, to preparing special treats for our parties to making donations to our various events and fundraisers, we really appreciate it!

From the whole team here at St. Catherine's Preschool we would like to wish all of our families a joyous, safe and relaxing Christmas and a very happy New Year!

Important Upcoming Dates:

Wednesday December 17: Class Christmas Parties 201/403
Thursday December 18: Class Christmas Parties 202/302/304
Friday December 19: Class Christmas Parties 301/401/402
Friday December 19: 4's Christmas Caroling in the village.
Friday December 19: Last day of classes.
Saturday December 20-Sunday January 4: Christmas break.
Monday January 5: Preschool re-opens.

For General information please contact Tina or Jen in the office:

Tel: 604-980-1326
Fax: 604-982-3277
Email: stcpre@telus.net
website: www.stcatherinespreschool.com
Please "LIKE" our Facebook page "St. Catherine's Child Care Society"

A note from our parent board members:

Thank you to everyone who donated wine, bought or sold tickets for our wine raffle. We sold over 200 tickets and made over $2400 so this was a very successful fundraiser for our preschool!

The winners were:

3rd prize and winner of 4 bottles of wine: Andrea Youck
2nd prize and winner of 8 bottles of wine: Jonathan Mackin
1st prize and winner of 12 bottles of wine: Lauren Sinclair

Thank you so much for your support and cheers to a very Merry Christmas Season with your children and families!

Fundraising Update:

Wine Auction!!
As you know we have been fundraising for 2 new light tables for our preschool (we are sick and tired of heavy tables around here!!). Seriously though, light tables are fantastic tools for multi-sensory exploration and play and we are so excited to say that as we have surpassed our goal of raising the $1500; we will be ordering them as soon as we get back to preschool in January!!

With all the fundraising we do 50% goes towards classroom needs 25% goes towards updating our office equipment and 25% goes into a contingency fund for future needs.

Fundraising Totals:

PIZZA NIGHT       $993.00     ($496.50 towards light tables)
PURDY'S             $554.05     ($277.00 towards light tables)
WINE RAFFLE   $2410.00   ($1205.00 towards light tables)

TOTAL                 $3957.05   ($1978.53 towards light tables)

A note from the Discovery 2's  Sali, Vibha, Stephanie, Danielle, Estelle


For the month of November, it was all about hibernation. We all worked together to paint a big tree for our chipmunks to hibernate in and we decorated paper plate snails. We also worked together to paint a bear cave and then we decorated bears with cinnamon to put around it and we made bear masks. At circle we read "Goldilocks and The Three Bears". For art we glued oats onto three bowls; a  large one for Papa Bear, a medium sized one for Mama Bear, and a small one for Baby bear. To end our theme we had a teddy bear picnic. It was great to see all of the children in their pajamas and having their favourite stuffies with them. For snack we laid out some blankets and enjoyed the egg-free oatmeal cookies we made that day. They were delicious!

Next it was onto a very special time of the year; Christmas! We put extra love into a very special Christmas surprise that we made. We decorated angels with shiny paper, Christmas ball ornaments, salt dough ornaments, foam snowflakes, and painted with pine tree branches. At circle we've been singing many Christmas songs and listening to Christmas stories.

Now we are looking forward to our Christmas party and spending some time with our families, enjoying some yummy treats and celebrating together on our last day of preschool before our Christmas break.

With the weather getting colder, we would like to remind parents to dress their child warmly (jacket, mittens, toque) as we will be going outside if it is not raining.

Pine branch painting!
If you see that your child is showing signs that they are ready to be toilet trained, the two weeks off for winter break would be a great opportunity to start. It is always great for children to have consistency at home and school so if you have started toilet training, please let us know and we will continue doing the same at school. When you come to school, please send your child in underwear and bring plenty of extra clothes (underwear, pants, socks, and shoes). Good luck!

We would like to send our warmest wishes to you and your family during the holiday season! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A note from 301  Gabi, Permjit and Sousan


November was an ‘easy month’ in our class, we tried our best to take time to connect with each of ‘our’ children and plan activities that were fun and helpful for them to make new connections with each other. We used some well-known children's stories to discuss anything that interested our little friends. We incorporated some teaching of healthy habits and the importance of proper hygiene to stay well in our Circle times.

We can’t believe it is already December! There is magic in the air (with some help of the occasional use of peppermint, cocoa, ginger or cinnamon in our play-dough!) The children are starry eyed from all the excitement, preparation and anticipation that only the Christmas Season can bring.  

We started the season off early, the last week of November, with introducing the Nativity Story. The children were delighted to play with the sets we have at the preschool to re-tell the story. We practiced every time we could fit into our busy schedule for the Christmas Service, and all the time sitting on the carpet instead of playing paid off! They were fantastic! Even some of the shy 3’s participated and we are just as proud as you must be!
301’s class Christmas Party will be on Friday, December 19th. Family members are welcome to come in and join us at 11:15 to sing some Christmas songs with us!

Enjoy the moments with your loved ones during the Christmas break, and have a Happy New Year!

A note from 302  Gabi, Narine and Karen

November was a nice, relaxing month to prepare ourselves for the busy, full of activities month of December. We were lucky enough to be able to spend most days outside and observe changes in nature. To brighten the few dark rainy days we used vivid colors and lot of sparkles in art projects!

It is wonderful to see the children walking into the classroom looking for faces, new friends they can’t wait to see again, talk to, play with. They are comfortable enough with us the teachers too to ask for help, particular toys or stories.They all settled in nicely and proud that they can follow directions and routines with just a little, or no help at all from the teachers!

December is a magical, most anticipated month of the year for the youngest (and for some of us as well), but also the busiest at home and at school. We introduced the Nativity Story first before we moved into practicing our songs and rhyme for the Christmas Service. With only two days a week we had to sacrifice some well loved free play time and a few last bites of snacks to memorize lines and tunes but it was worth it! They all looked adorable and performed well! Thank you parents, Laura and Marion!

Lots and lots of sparkles, funny Christmas stories, and some new Christmas songs will make us happy for the little time we have left of this year.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 A note from 401  Stephanie, Narine and Karen


For the month of November we focused on a very popular author, Robert Munsch. We read many of his stories at circle time and then for art we would create something that was connected to the story of the day. For the story "The Fire Station" we made fire trucks, for "Andrew's Loose Tooth" we decorated a tooth, for "Get Out of Bed" we made beds, for "Mmm, Cookies!" We decorated play dough cookies, for "The Paper Bag Princess" we made a princess with a paper bag, for "The sandcastle Contest" we made castles, for "Roar" we made hand-print lions, and for "Makeup Mess" we created paper plate faces.

We also took one day out of the month to talk about Remembrance Day. For art we made poppies using hearts.

December was such a busy month for us. At circle we talked about the story of Christmas and then for art we created a nativity scene with Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus. We worked on a special Christmas surprise, made snowmen, decorated gingerbread people, and snowflakes with glitter.
The children have worked so hard practicing their songs for the Christmas Service. It was a huge success. They all did such an amazing job at singing. Thank you to Laura for putting it all together and Marion for all her work in organizing everything.

Now we look forward to spending some time all together at the Christmas parties. It is always nice to be around family and friends during this time of the year and we are glad that we get to do a little bit of celebrating with you and your children!

To end the last day of school before the holidays we will go Christmas caroling in Edgemont. This is a special tradition that we only do with our 4 year old programs and the business owners and people strolling through the village are always really happy to hear our preschoolers singing for them!

Wishing you and your family a joyous holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A note from 402  Danielle, Arsi and Sousan

Wow, how time flies...We have been at school for just over 3 months and it will soon be time for Christmas break.

The month of November has been very busy. We started off with Remembrance Day. This was a great opportunity for us to reinforce why we should use our words; so people don`t get hurt. We decorated our own Poppies and listened to some Remembrance Day Poems.

We then focused on the great author and song writer Raffi. We used his songs to dance too, move around, create some great art i.e. Beluga whales, trees that grow, the world we live in and a fishy aquarium. We read some new books and some favourite ones. "Baby Beluga", "Shake Your Sillies Out"  and "Everything Grows" were the more popular ones, but we also discovered new books "This Little Light of Mine" and "Me, Myself & I".

Next we moved onto "The Nutcracker". This was a fun filled week. We read the story, watched the movie, listened to the music and participated in many fun art activities. We decorated Ballerinas, assembled and painted Soldiers and Nutcrackers but best of all, we painted to the music of "The Dance of Hot Chocolate, Tea and Coffee..." The room smelled like Starbucks!

We have also had fun listening to our Class Pet Echo's, many adventures. He sure gets around and he loves to have his photo taken!

In our last few weeks, we have been busy talking about Christmas...Writing our letters to Santa was our first task. We have also been busy making decorations for our homes, Christmas presents for our families and just enjoying the spirit of Christmas...We plan to end our last week of school with Caroling in the Village and a party when we return.

Just a little reminder that we are here for 4 hours, so it is better to pack more food than not. Leftovers can always be taken home. We also ask if you could please separate Lunch and Snack...This is a great opportunity for the children to learn what should be eaten for Snack and what is best left for Lunch, as they will be at full time Kindergarten next year and making their own choices.

Please continue to send extra clothing as there are some very enthusiastic painters and children who enjoy water play. With the cold weather here, please remember to send warm coats and hats. Our playground is shaded and tends to be cooler earlier in the day.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to speak to either Danielle, Arsi or Sousan. 

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

A note from class 304  Vibha, Stephanie and Gabi

For the month of November we focused on a frozen theme. We worked together to paint a big white ice castle, we used glue and shaving cream to make puffy "Olaf" snowmen, painted with ice cubes, decorated popsicle stick snowflakes with glitter, and created ice sculptures with a variety of different shaped ice. We used salt to make the ice stick together so they we would be able to put up and create different structures with them. Then we used pipettes to colour the ice sculptures with water colour.
December seemed to approach us so quickly. We were so busy preparing for the Christmas services. The children worked so hard practicing their songs and they all sang beautifully that night. Thank you to Laura for putting it together and to Marion for organizing everything.

At circle we talked about the story of Christmas and how it was all about the birth of Baby Jesus. For art the children all helped to colour the different characters of the nativity scene and we put them up in our classroom to show us the story of Christmas. We worked on a special Christmas surprise, decorated trees with glitter, paper plate wreaths with sequins, and 3D Christmas trees. We also went for a walk through the village to see all of the Christmas decorations in the store windows.

No we are looking forward to having our Christmas party on Thursday and spending some time with our families celebrating this special time of year. Thanks to all the parents who are providing some yummy treats for our party!

We would like to wish you and your family a wonderful holiday. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A note from class 403  Stephanie and Permjit

For the month of November we spent a week talking about shapes, a week about colours, and a week learning about numbers. At circle we would talk about the different shapes, then for art we would create things using a variety of different shapes such as people and vehicles. For numbers we made a caterpillar and each circle represented a number in which the children put that amount of stickers onto it. For colours we heard the felt story "Mouse Paint" which the children really enjoyed. For art we used the three primary colours and mixed two of them together to create a new colour. We used shaving cream and made prints with these colours.

We also took one day out of the month to talk about Remembrance Day. For art we made poppies using hearts.

December was such a busy month for us. At circle we talked about the story of Christmas and then for art we created a nativity scene with Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus. We worked on a special Christmas surprise, decorated gingerbread people, Christmas trees and salt dough star ornaments with glitter. We drew a picture for Santa and we were so excited to hear back from him. It was exciting to see the letters he sent us!

The children worked so hard practicing their songs for the Christmas Service and it was a huge success. They all did such an amazing job at singing. Thank you to Laura for putting it all together and Marion for all her work in organizing everything.

Now we are looking forward to our Christmas party. It is always nice to be around family and friends during this time of the year. Thank you to everyone who is bringing a treat for our celebration.

To end the last day of school before the holidays we will be going Christmas caroling through the village which is so much fun!

Wishing you and your family a joyous holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Friday 14 November 2014

Pumpkins, Bats and Black Cats!

A note from Jen - Coordinator...

Wow October just flew by in a whirl of pumpkins, bats and spiders! It was so cute to see all the children dressed up in their Halloween costumes and I think I saw at least 10 Annas and Elsas running around the preschool (Princesses from Frozen for those of you who haven't watched the movie 20 times!) October is also the month in which we give thanks for all the special people and things in our lives and it's really heart warming (and sometimes funny) to learn what is most special to our preschoolers. This year I heard that "a story with mommy" and "walking my dog with daddy" are things that our children are thankful for as well as "candy!" and "my Batman t-shirt" were some of the funny ones!

Just a quick reminder that even as the weather gets colder we still try to get outside to play in the fresh air as often as we can. Warm coats, hats and mittens are really necessary as well as shoes/boots with good grip so that our little ones can fully enjoy their outside play time. 

Something else I want to mention is that when you are dropping your children off at preschool, please make sure to physically bring them into the classroom or at least hand them over to a teacher at the door. Drop-off and pick-up times can be very hectic and it's so important that our teachers are able to acknowledge each and every child as they arrive. 

Important Upcoming Dates...

Sunday, November 16th - First week of Sunday School.
Tuesday, November 18th - Scholastic orders due.
Wednesday, November 19th - Pizza Night 5:30-7:30pm. 
Friday, November 21st - Purdy's orders due.
Thursday, November 27th - Messy Church.
Wed/Thurs, December 10/11th - 3's/4's Christmas Services.

For general information or questions about our programs:

Tel: 604-980-1326
Fax: 604-982-3277
Email: stcpre@telus.net
Website: www.stcatherinespreschool.com
Please "LIKE" our Facebook page "St. Catherine's Child Care Society"

A note from Marion - Developmental Resource Teacher...

This month I spent some time with our 3's and 4's going over some fire safety concepts. I use a video which illustrates the techniques of stop, drop and roll and crawl low under smoke and then we all practice together. 

I have spent time in the classrooms offering support, guidance and strategies to our teachers which help to make sure that our program is as inclusive as possible. I have also been working closely with our music teacher Laura both in the daily running of her music classes as well as helping her to put together her very first Christmas Service!

We also had Elmer the Safety Elephant in to talk with the 4's about road safety and then it was time for our Halloween parties, so busy busy!

On November 27th we have our Messy Church evening so if you are able to attend I will look forward to seeing you there!

As always, please come and speak with me if you have any questions or concerns with regards to your children's development.

A note from the Church...
Charlie the Church Mouse! (Sweater by Marion!)

Beginning on Sunday, November 16th St. Catherine's Anglican Church is starting Sunday School here in the Rainbow Room with our wonderful preschool teacher Gabi Pasek (along with her daughter Rebecca) running the program. 

If you are interested in attending Church and having the positive influence of Sunday School for your children then please drop your preschoolers (aged 3-5) off downstairs in the Rainbow Room at 9:45am and continue upstairs for the 10am Service. 

During their time at Sunday School your children will experience stories, songs, crafts and a light snack before being brought up to join you at approximately 10:50am.

Please confirm your attendance at stcpre@telus.net.

We look forward to seeing you on Sundays!

A note from Laura Kaario - Music Teacher...


We’re still learning about fast and slow and loud and quiet, and this October we learned about high sounds and low sounds. Mice, birds and mothers usually make high sounds, and bears, lions and fathers usually make low sounds. With the threes we read Goldilocks and the Three Bears and used high voices for baby bear, medium voices for mama bear and low voices for papa bear. Fours played high triangles and low drums. We listened to some excerpts from Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute. Isis und Osiris is sung by a bass, a man with a really low voice. The Queen of the Night aria is sung by a soprano, a woman with a high voice, and this piece has even higher notes than a lot of sopranos can sing! (This one was a favourite.)

We’re also working on clapping rhythms that go with words. For example:
Jack O’Lantern – short-short-short-short
Boo! – loooong
Pumpkin – long-long

At Thanksgiving, we did the Turkey Pokey and sang If You’re Thankful and You Know it Clap Your Hands. We also sang this simple song (tune of Frère Jacques) that could be used as a grace:
I am thankful, I am thankful,
Yes, I am, Yes, I am.
Thankful for my mommy, Thankful for my daddy,
And our food, and our food.

We heard Mozart’s Piano Variations on the Melody of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and talked about how we can change a tune we all know a little bit by doing it faster or slower, or louder and quieter, or by adding instruments or changing words. We’re going to do a different version of Twinkle Twinkle at our Christmas service.

Later in the month, we sang about pumpkins and witches, and learned a fun poem about a scarecrow:
When all the cows are sleeping
Our new play-stands
And the sun had gone to bed,
Up jumped the scarecrow
And this is what he said:

I’m a dingle dangle scarecrow
With a flippy, floppy hat,
I can shake my hands like this,
I can shake my feet like that.

We listened to In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grieg and snuck around the room. (I get requests to listen to this again every week.) We also talked about how this piece is fast and quiet, although at the end it’s really loud. On Halloween week, we listened to part of the Fifth movement of Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz and imagined what his Halloweeny dream could be about.

You can check our Listening List on the door of the music class for what music we listened to each week and listen to it at home. Any other music is great too!

Now that we are in November we are working on our Christmas Service Songs!


A note from our parent board members...

Amy Green - Secretary

I am a stay at home mom to Molly (4) and Logan (2) and wife to my first love, David. We have two huge fluffy cats and one sweet and gentle horse (who lives in Langley). 

I went to school first for massage therapy and then for Marketing Management with a specialty in Entrepreneurship at BCIT. From there I jumped into working in management at a large office supply company and then into sales and pagination for a community newspaper. I took off from there to start a graphic design boutique with a partner where we created an adorable office in Fort Langley, but more importantly, a great business helping small to medium sized businesses with branding, printing, design and web.
Marion's home made veggies!

A couple of years ago with our second baby on the way, I shifted gears into freelancing and working with only a few key clients (Canada Place / Port Metro, a quilting magazine and a delicious cupcake shop) in order to be at home full time with our wee ones. 

As of this past summer I have taken a leave from work in order to fully enjoy this fabulous and fleeting time with our kids. So now my days are a whole lot less marketing strategy meetings and a whole lot more meal prep, playing trains and playing dress up. This is our daughter's third year at St Catherine's Preschool and we have really enjoyed the amazing teachers and families that are a part of this school. 

I am hoping this year as part of the preschool board that I will be able to lend some of my experience with marketing, fundraising and problem solving in order to help our school.  

Caroline Cave - Board member


I'm Caroline Cave and I'm the mother of Luca (4's) and Merryn Diligenti (2's).
Born and raised on the North Shore, I married Pepe Diligenti, The Cute and Rebellious Childhood Paperboy, in 2010. This brought me rather unexpectedly home after 16 years away pursuing studies and career.

I'm a classically trained actress (Gemini Award/Actra Award/Dora/Jessie and other nominations). Before children, I worked across the country in film, television and theatre. I've lived in Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Toronto. 

I feel most fortunate to raise my kids in North Van near their cousins and grandparents. Now in my third year at the preschool, it's an honour to serve the board. I really believe  the health of the community is integral to the health of the individual. 

I have several ties within the St. Catherine's community: 

I grew up down the road from Lauren (Barré) Sinclair; I was friends with her older sisters. 
We used to have boys over in her parents' absence and then threaten Lauren to secrecy! I also grew up alongside Laura (Steuart) Griffiths, mother of Gracie, Noah and Tucker, and Buffie (Steuart) Mayo, mum of Logan and London. I babysat Laura and Buff and apparently I let them smoke in the backyard!!

Look what we built!
Our dads are 70 and started playing music together at 15 at West Van High. They still gig regularly in a busy R'n'B band called Souled Out.

My goal this year is to raise enough funds to purchase two light tables for the preschoolers as well as new office computers and accompanying IT support and software. The monetary vision in my head is 5k. I'm very enthusiastic about the Wine Raffle we're holding, as well as two social events including a Fashion Girls' Night Out in the spring.

I look forward to meeting more of the St. Catherine's community, to joining the new church Sunday School Program, and to raising funds to enhance the kids' experience of preschool.

A note from the Discovery 2's - Sali, Vibha, Danielle, Estelle, Stephanie...

We started the month of October with a theme of fall. We talked about the colours of fall and the leaves on the trees changing. In art, we made hand-print leaves by painting our hands with Fall colours and printing them on paper. We also glued pieces of red, yellow and orange tissue paper onto a tree template to resemble leaves.


We are doing really well at circle time, our listening skills are improving every day. We sang Fall songs such as “All the leaves are falling down” and “Dingle Dangle Scarecrow”. We also enjoyed familiar songs such as “ Roly Poly up, Roly Poly down”, “Open, shut them” and “Miss Polly had a dolly”.

For Thanksgiving we read stories and sang songs about turkeys. We painted pine cones and made turkeys to take home. Next we moved on to Halloween. We read “Little Mouse’s Halloween” and learned that it’s “not so scary after all”. We sang movement songs and many counting songs involving pumpkins, ghosts and goblins. We decorated our boards for Halloween with numerous art projects: hand-print spiders, spiders with crazy legs and puffy paint pumpkins! We also enjoyed carving and exploring our pumpkins during our Halloween parties. Thank you to everyone who provided treats. If you did not get asked to bring something, don’t worry, we have many occasions for parties and will ask every family in turn.

A couple of reminders :

Now that the weather is colder, please be sure to dress your child appropriately. We will play outside unless it is raining. 
Also, we would appreciate if you could have your child walk up and down the stairs, holding the railing on the right hand side, they need the practice!! Happy Fall! 

A note from class 301 - Permjit, Gabi and Sousan...


We are all into the swing of things. Busy bees actually. We have started to gel very well as a class and help each other out. It's a beautiful, calm class with great personalities!

At the beginning of October we started off with an autumn theme; the colours of leaves, printing with them and activities and songs about fall. The children loved the story "The Giving Tree".  From there we went onto Thanksgiving and what we are thankful for. A popular choice after chocolate and candy was dad, mum and siblings. We had endless discussions about what our favourite food was on Thanksgiving. We made turkeys using feathers, potato printing and felt stories.Then it was time to move onto Halloween and Diwali. We started off by talking about what is real and pretend. We made spider webs using our favourite thing of all, sparkles! They were everywhere! We decorated pumpkins, cats, bats, spooky houses, as well as felt stories and songs. Our favourite one was " Five black and shiny crows, Sitting on a Scarecrows back, eating the most delicious corn."

We had a few days in the middle of October, to talk about Diwali, which is a celebration of the Festival of Lights. It's about good over evil. It's celebrated in India and other parts of the world and it's like Christmas. Presents are exchanged and families get together. We painted Diva's and tasted Halva which some of us loved and others not so much.

We would like to say big thank you for our yummy treats for our Halloween party!! We had so much fun dressing up and enjoyed our room being made spooky! I would like to say a big thank you to Marion, who helps us during these extra busy times and works her magic when we want special things done! We came in the morning and the children noticed the treehouse had different animals in it and were dressed for Halloween!

If you have any concerns or queries please come and talk to us.

A note from class 302 - Narine, Gabi and Karen...

Our class is really coming together nicely as the children become more comfortable with the routines and expectations of preschool. This month we learned about fire safety with Marion our Developmental Resource Teacher. Marion showed the children a video which illustrated many important fire safety rules including "STOP, DROP and ROLL" in case fire was to get on your clothing and "CRAWL LOW UNDER SMOKE" to help you to get out of a building if it was on fire. These concepts might seem scary but are taught sensitively and I think we can all agree how important it is to practice such life saving techniques.

October is the month in which we give thanks for all the wonderful things in our lives. We talked about who is special and how we can show them that we care, we created art which centered around the beautiful autumn leaves which are all around us as we walk around our neighbourhoods as well as some turkey inspired art.

Next we began to talk about Halloween, and enjoyed making some really cool "Rock Spiders" as well as having an awesome Halloween Party in which we dressed up in our Halloween costumes and ate some yummy treats brought in by our lovely parents - thank you!

Please come and speak with us if you have any questions or concerns.

A note from class 401 - Stephanie, Narine and Karen...


Hello, everyone!
Incredible! October has gone and very soon the wonderful season of Christmas will be here!  But let us first review what we have done during this beautiful autumn month of October.
In the first couple of weeks we were doing lots of seasonal crafts and activities. For example, we “painted” apples on apple trees using our thumbs which was a lot of fun! Some children decided to put to use all of their fingers creating a very rich apple harvest on the trees and under them! During this art we were talking about the different colours of the apples as well as how delicious they taste. The autumn foliage is especially beautiful during October.  We talked about “falling down leaves – red, yellow, brown …” about the different shapes the leaves have, why they change colour etc.

Next came Thanksgiving! Our children decorated their own turkeys by gluing “googly” eyes, feathers, and the beak. We sang a new finger play Thanksgiving song with children happily participating and enjoying themselves. Another craft that we worked on was “button corn”. We were talking about different parts of the corn plant, the different coloured kernels they may have, how sweet and delicious they taste, and the different ways we prepare it. It became a little bit messy when we were gluing button “kernels” but at the same time it was interesting and exciting.

Finally lots of Halloween fun was had! But what is the Halloween without a spooky art!?  We were talking about real versus pretend to help children not be scared of “booo and wooo” stuff.  Children cheerfully participated in making Q-tip skeletons, potato-painting pumpkins, gluing many eyes on their spiders to make them spooky, creating shape monsters and ghosts, and making a Jack-o-Lantern. We enjoyed hearing all about the children's Halloween night and we are glad to know that everyone had a safe and happy Halloween.

A note from class 402 - Danielle, Arsi and Sousan...


What a fun and busy month October has been. The children have settled in nicely and are getting used to our routine and transitions.

In the beginning of October we talked about Thanksgiving. During one of our circles we discussed what we were thankful for and some of the answers the children gave were, "friends" "pets" and "family." A very fun family activity we did this year was disguising Tom Turkey. The results were great. Thank you to the children and their families for their creative ideas!! We also made pumpkins muffins and tarts (who doesn't love the smell of yummy fresh treats?!). The children also enjoyed making pumpkin prints using mini pumpkins as their stencils. We had a special visit from Elmer the Elephant and Ruff who talked to us about pedestrian and traffic safety. Ruff also let us know the importance of wearing a seat belt in a car.

Before we knew it, Halloween was around the corner. We started off by painting ghosts using a salad spinner. The children were surprised how blobs of paint turned into cool designs. We then made bats from egg cartons, we drew our own spider web designs and sparkled them as well. Of course the webs needed spiders and so we made some. The children counted the legs to make sure they had eight! Another fun art activity the children made were spooky Halloween stained glass windows. They were excited to see what their windows looked like after they added their design to it.....spooookkkyyy!!!

Last but most fun...was our Halloween party!!! It was so fun to see the children in their costumes. We had a great time dancing and eating yummy party food. We even had a chance to watch a bit of "Stellaluna" since we had read the book too.

Thank you to the parents who brought the yummy food and drinks for our party.

Looking forward to November, we will be introducing Echo, our adopted killer whale to the children. We will also be touching on Remembrance Day.

If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to ask us.

A note from class 304 - Vibha, Stephanie and Gabi...

October was a very busy an exciting month.  First, we talked about Thanksgiving and things that we are thankful for.  We decorated foam turkeys with colourful feathers and made turkeys using play dough.  At circle, we talked about apples and the different things we can use apples for. We cut up apples into small pieces and made applesauce then we ate it at snack and it was delicious!

Next, we celebrated Diwali (Festival of Lights).  We learned how to say Namaste ( Hello) in Hindi.  For art, we decorated clay diyas (Lamp) with paint.  The Children also, had the opportunity to make Roti (Indian Bread)  which were enjoyed by the children for snack.

Before we knew it, it was Halloween. For art, we made paper bag pumpkins, spiders, and owls. The Halloween party was lots of fun. We all had fun dressing up in our costumes and some of us enjoyed describing who we were. A huge thank you to parents for bringing in yummy treats for the party. We all enjoyed them very much.

Marion came to our class and talked about fire safety. We watched a video which taught us to STOP, DROP AND ROLL if fire gets on our clothes as well as practicing crawling low under smoke.  

Please make sure that your child has appropriate clothing for preschool, as we will go out to play when it is not raining.  If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to speak to us.

A note from class 403 - Permjit and Stephanie...

In Octoberwe started with Thanksgiving, discussed Johnny Appleseed (his real name being John Chapman) and how he planted apple seeds everywhere he went so that people wouldn't go hungry. We also talked about why we sing the Johnny Appleseed grace song before snack time because we are thankful. We enjoyed making apple muffins together and best part was eating them! We enjoyed stories about Thanksgiving, made turkeys using feathers, sparkles and helped to make cranberry sauce which we took home to share.

Room on the Broom
Then it was time to move on to Halloween. We talked about what's real and pretend. We loved making ghosts, using shaving foam and glue, they were 3D so it was messy and fun! We cut out our pumpkins and made them into Jack-o-Lanterns and enjoyed a story about a witch looking for a home and how it ended up being a Jack-o-Lantern house. We did so many activities at Halloween and enjoyed lots of fun stories using felt props and books. One of the songs we enjoyed was, "There's a spider on the floor, on the floor". 

We took a few days out from Halloween and celebrated Diwali, Festival of Lights. We painted Divas and tried Halva, which was very sweet. Some of us loved it and others not so sure. It's a big time of celebration in certain parts of the world. In India it's an official holiday like Christmas. Presents are exchanged and there are big family get-togethers. The house is lit with little lights using tiny little lamps (divas) made of clay and it's a beautiful welcoming atmosphere. This celebration signifies good combating over evil.

On Halloween day the children came dressed up in their costumes. We had princesses, super heroes and some spookier characters too! Our party was so much fun with Halloween music and delicious treats and we had a witches cauldron with spooky smoke! We dimmed the lights in the room and the effects were great and everyone got into the spirit of having fun (no pun intended!).

We would like to thank the parents who bought in the food and beverages for our Halloween party, they were yummy!

We also had some important safety talks and videos during October. Marion came in to talk to our class about fire safety and the children watched a video with Fireman Dam and his spotty dog. Then we learned what to do in case of emergency, to stop drop, roll and crawl low under smoke. Thank you Marion!

 
Elmer the Safety Elephant dropped by as well and talked to us about the importance of pedestrian safety and traffic safety. He showed us the correct way to cross the street, traffic light safety and how to play safely outside.

It's been a fun and busy October and now we're looking ahead to November where we will discuss Remembrance Day and focus on colours, numbers and shapes.

If at anytime you have any questions, please do not hesitate to speak to us.


Thanks for reading our blog, have a great day!






Friday 10 October 2014

Welcome to preschool! September 2014

A note from Jen   Coordinator...
Sunflower Room Mural


Welcome to another preschool year here at St. Catherine's. Over the summer I painted a mural on the wall of the Sunflower Room (A.K.A the Downunder Room!) and had my mum Lynn help out with painting the art area of the classroom a fresh, light green. We also had a lovely new carpet installed in the classroom and added an air purifier to help with airflow in the room. I think we have made a huge difference in brightening up the room and we hope that your children will enjoy it over this next year!

Pre-Math Skills are gained by sorting, pattering, and sequencing.
Marion: our own pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!
We have been doing our gradual entry in all classes over the past few weeks and apart from a few tears, the process has gone smoothly. Separation anxiety is hard for both children and parents alike but believe me, our teachers have a lot of experience with helping children to overcome that sadness and begin enjoying their time at preschool. We find that a consistent, calm, reassuring and fairly quick goodbye usually works best. Also making sure not to re-enter the classroom again until it's time for pick-up is really important too because as soon as children see their parent/caregiver again, they tend to go right back to that first stage of separation all over again. If a child was so upset, that they just couldn't settle then parents would be contacted; but this is rarely necessary. By the end of September/beginning of October most children are usually quite at home at preschool and excited to be here but as always if you have any concerns please chat with your teachers, Marion, Tina or myself.

We are so honoured that you made the choice to have your precious children attend St. Catherine's Preschool and we will strive to make your time here as positive as possible. We are proud to provide a safe, inclusive, nurturing environment in which your children can make friends, explore, create and imagine all while doing what children do best - PLAY!

Important Upcoming dates

Monday October 13   Thanksgiving - Preschool closed
Thursday October 16  Messy Church 5-6:30pm in the gym
Tues/Wed October 21/22  Elmer the Safety Elephant (3's and 4's)
Wed/Thurs/Fri October 29/30/31 Classroom Halloween Parties

For general information please contact Tina or Jen in the office:

Tel: 604-980-1326
Fax: 604-982-3277
Email: stcpre@telus.net
Website: www.stcatherinespreschool.com
Please 'like' our Facebook page St. Catherine's Childcare Society.






Our Team!





Jen McEneany Coordinator

10 things about me!

1. I have lived in 4 different countries.
2. I have 2 daughters - Ayla who is 11 and Kaitlyn who is 7.
3. I love to read and always have a book with me wherever I go.
4. When I like a song I listen to it on repeat (and sometimes make
     up a dance to go along with it!)
5. I wanted to become a preschool teacher because when I was little my preschool teacher in England was MEAN and I wanted to be a kind and caring first teacher for children.
6. I have been making healthy juices and smoothies for over a year now and I always try and convince people to try them (ask Marion how she liked the juice I made for her!!!)
7. I love hiking around the North Shore and I have a whole album of pictures of interesting tree roots!
8. My favourite TV show of all time is Gilmore Girls.
9. I am obsessed with the online sites Pinterest and Etsy.
10. I just started taking guitar lessons and I can now play "Oh my darling Clementine" and "What Shall we do with the Drunken Sailor?"


Tina Spencer (Administrator)

This is my fifth year at St. Catherine's Preschool, and I really enjoy being here. My job consists of all the registration, licensing issues and grants as well as serving on the board for several ECE related committees in the community. In addition to this I run a small business called Little Giant in which I teach felt board story workshops.

I have lived and worked on the North Shore for 46 years, I have two sons Spencer and Jack and I love to spend my spare time playing baseball, camping and taking photographs.

Marion Porter (Developmental Resource Teacher)


Hi I’m Marion Porter. I have been at St.Catherine’s for 17 years, first as a Support Worker with Supported Child Development and then I took on the position of Co-ordinator for a year in 2002. I have been the Developmental Resource Teacher since then and am responsible for the children who require extra support and I oversee their Support Workers. I am a liason for any community services which the families require, such as NS Supported Child Development, Speech & Language, Occupational Therapy and Physio Therapy. I am considered a .5 teacher for all the classrooms and am available for the teachers as a resource person. If you have any questions or concerns please speak with your teachers or come down to my office to talk.

On a personal note my husband Jim and I have lived on the North Shore for 18 years after having lived in Toronto and Winnipeg. Our three boys were born in Richmond in 1983, 1984 and 1986. Richard and Stephen both attended the University of Manitoba and made Winnipeg their home. Derek also attended U of M but decided to make Vancouver his home. We are now empty nesters and enjoy camping in our tent trailer and hiking with our dog, Jasper. We also took up archery last year and we are getting out at least twice a week to practice.  

Laura Kaario (Music teacher)

My time at St. Catherine’s started when I came here for preschool as a child, and 17 years later – I’m back! I’m currently a third year music student at Capilano University, majoring in voice. I plan to finish my Bachelor of Music in the education stream and may pursue further education in music history. I’ve been teaching piano and voice for a few years and last year I took my first Kodaly-Orff methodology class. I believe that teaching children music is extremely important – I could not imagine my childhood without being surrounded by music; it is a skill and appreciation that can be enjoyed throughout life.  

I live in North Vancouver with my mum, dad, yorky-poo, and budgie. Apart from music, I love to relax in the sun or with some tea and read, eat and cook, craft, travel, enjoy nature and, of course, spend time with my family and friends. So far I’ve really enjoyed teaching the children: it’s wonderful to see them enjoying music and creativity – and I can dance however I like and fit in perfectly!


Sali Chippett (201 and 202)


Personal:

My name is Sali Chippett. I was born in England and have lived in Canada for 22 years. I have two children, a son aged 16 and a daughter aged 19, who both attended St. Catherine's preschool! I have lived near Edgemont village for 18 years and very much enjoy being part of the community. My hobbies are reading, hiking, camping, swimming and hanging out with my kids. I also love to cook and bake. An interesting fact about me is that I have a pet bunny who is litter trained and runs free around my house!

Professional:

I have worked in the field of Early Childhood Education for over 20 years. I have my Early Childhood Educator licence and Infant/ Toddler licence. I have also had experience supporting children with differing abilities. I started working at St. Catherine's in the Spring of 2012 and am very happy to be back for another school year. St. Catherine's is a great place to work, the teachers are a great support to each other and there is always a lot of fun and laughter. This year, I am teaching 201 (Mon, Wed Two year old class) and 202 (Tue, Thurs Two year old class). I look forward to getting to know you and your children over the course of the year.


Arsi Amirians (402)


I'm looking forward to another fun and exciting preschool year!
I live in North Vancouver with my husband Arbi and our two children. My daughter, Lara, is 8 years old and very spunky and my son, Luca, is 2 and very energetic. They keep us busy and I wouldn't have it any other way! 

I did my Early Childhood Education course at Capilano College (now University) and worked at a daycare in the Infant/Toddler program for four years before joining the lovely team at St.Catherine's in the 4's program.

When I have some free time, I love getting my nails done, listening to music, and catching up with my friends! A Weird thing about me: I don't like spiders and if I see one, I feel like they're all over me!!!! 

Danielle Moore (201 and 402)


My name is Danielle and I was born in Perth, Western Australia. Twenty years ago I traveled to Vancouver and fell in love with Vancouver and my husband Rick. We now have three lovely children Alyssa who is 17 (and recently headed off to Australia to travel and study) Rhys who is 15 and Haylee who is 11. We love to go for walks in the North Shore mountains with our dog Shadow. My spare time is consumed with my children's activities especially soccer, as it is a big part of our weekend. We also love to watch movies and go swimming.

I have been working at St Catherine's for over 8 years now in the Discovery Two's Program and have taken on the challenge of running the extended Four Year Old Program with Arsi this year. I look forward to working with our littlest preschoolers and our biggest ones over the next year!

Permjit Kaur (301 and 403)

I've worked in child care with children of different ages for over 25 years. I find children's company a lot easier than adults! They are honest, sincere and intuitive and they make you laugh!

My family emigrated to Canada 15 years ago from London (UK). We have three children. Our oldest daughter went to Queens University and now lives in London where she works in Corporate Responsibility. Our son went to UCL (in London where he studied Genetics) and he is just about to head off to do some travelling. Our youngest daughter attends the Sauder School of Business at UBC where she has a full scholarship and she also had the opportunity to study abroad over this past year at the University of Hong Kong. She and my husband will talk for hours about anything business related! I do feel very lucky and blessed to have such an awesome family and I find that family life is definitely a lot easier now the teenage years are over!

At St .Catherine's I get to interact with fantastic parents and staff and of course the wonderful children. I go home with so many funny stories and my husband looks forward to hearing the funniest thing that was said that day! It just fills your heart with so much love and appreciation to be a part of a child's first steps into education.

My biggest achievement this year has been learning to ride a bike! Yes I can finally do it! I had a very patient fella who held on to the back while I practiced and practiced, until his back gave way!! Up hill is still a work in progress!

I look forward to meeting you all and teaching your children over this next year. I'm sure we will have a few laughs and a lot of fun!

Gabi Pasek (301, 302 and 304)

My name is Gabriella Pasek (Gabi)  and I was born and raised in Hungary and lived in Austria for a year before I moved to Canada more than 15 years ago. I have a 15 year old daughter Rebecca who is also my fashion adviser, language pathologist and event planner! E.C.E. is my new field, although I took courses in teaching before the adventure of moving over to this side of the world. 

I spent the 5 years prior to taking my E.C.E. working in the financial sector, before faith helped me to realize that I should be doing something that makes me happy. I have always enjoyed the company of young children. I love to watch how smart, independent, lovable and unique each of them is. I like to observe the interaction between them; some of their conversations are priceless! I admire their simple (and if not hungry or tired!!) usually happy outlook on life. I feel lucky and privileged to be part of the St. Catherine’s community, to have the opportunity to get to know our great children and their families, teaching with some amazing ladies.  In my spare time I like reading, hiking, biking and snowboarding. I also enjoy spending time with all age groups when I volunteer my time at folk-dance events, swim meets or theatrical performances.

Karen Hamfeldt (302 and 401)


This will be my third year at St. Catherine's and over that time I have learned so much from each and every child. Working  with children is something I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember but my career path first led me to professional cooking. I have St. Catherine's to thank for my chance to become an Early Childhood Educator.

All three of my children have attended St. Catherine's (Connor 11, Alexis 10 and Amanda 6) and so it is a very comfortable place for me to be. I am so privileged to work with such caring, wonderful and knowledgeable people so much so that my 'job' does not feel like work.

I will continue to do my support, nurture and care for your children as if they were my own! 
e with my family and friends. I also enjoy taking myout f
Estelle Stojcic (201 and 202) 


I have been an Early Childhood Educator since 1991. I completed my basic ECE in ’93 and my Infant/Toddler and Special Needs in ’04. I’ve been at St. Catherine’s since 2005. I have two children Angelique is eight and Liliana is five years old and has just started kindergarten. I look forward to working with your children in the 2’s program and getting to know you as well. I look forward to a fun filled year and to see how the two’s will blossom and grow in the coming year. In my spare time, I like to knit, go to the park with my children and read.





Narine Kazanchyan 401 and 302 


I studied Early Childhood Education (ECE) at MTI Community College. I really enjoy being around children - they are an unlimited source of positive energy and joy. I feel that “every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.” (R.Tagore)
I am originally from Armenia and while I was there I studied at the American University of Armenia and received a certificate in "Teaching English as a Foreign Language". I also studied at the Yerevan State Foreign Language Institute and received a Diploma in "Teaching German & English".
In my spare time I enjoy hiking, riding a bicycle, listening to classical music, watching old Hollywood movies, reading, and spending time with my family and friends.
Sousan Hakimy Kashany (301 and 302)
I am so honoured to be working at St. Catherine’s Preschool this year. I love working with children, discovering their choices and encouraging them to learn positive behaviour. I believe that each child is unique and an individual with the potential to learn in a comfortable atmosphere where they can develop their personality and impact the world around them now and in the years to come. My desire is to help each child grow to their greatest potential in an atmosphere of love and support. I have experience working as an ECE teacher in childcare centres and preschools since 2003. Originally from Iran, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietitian. I enjoy walking, jogging, yoga, and gathering with my friends and family.
Vibha Sisodraker (201, 202 and 304)
I was born and raised in the Fiji Islands and moved with my family to Toronto in 1985.  I completed my Early Childhood Education Program in Toronto before moving to Vancouver in 1995. I have one daughter; Ria who is 12 years old. Yoga, Hiking and Cooking are my favourite hobbies.  I joined St.Catherine's Preschool in 2006.  I am looking forward to a fun filled year getting to know the children and families. 




Stephanie Mah (202, 304, 401 and 403)

I completed my Early Childhood Education, Infant and Toddler, and Special Needs programs at Capilano University. Once I finished the ECE program, I had the pleasure of working here at St.Catherine's Preschool. This is going to be my ninth year at the preschool. I am very excited for this upcoming year as I am working in the 2's, 3's, and 4's programs. I am looking forward to another great year with all of the children and their families!

During my spare time I like to bake, rollerblade, and spend time with my family and friends. I also enjoy taking my dog out for walks. 


 L-R Amy, Lauren and Caroline






   Our new Board Moms!
Stephanie Mah (202, 304, 401, and 403)

I completed my Early Childhood Education, Infant and Toddler, and Special Needs programs at Capilano University. Once I finished the ECE program, I had the pleasure of working here at St.Catherine's Preschol. This is going to be my ninth year at the preschool. I am very excitfor this upcoming year as I am working in the 2's, 3's, and 4's programs. I am looking forward to aner great year with a of the children and their familn my spare time I like to bake, rollerblade, a spend tim





Leslie our returning board mom!










A note from Marion our Developmental Resource Teacher


Welcome everyone to a new school year. I have been busy helping the children with gradual entry and everyone seems to be settling into their new classes. I am enjoying spending time with your children and look forward to getting to know you better. Please do not hesitate to call me or come down to my office if you have any questions or concerns.

Self Portraits Class 402
Both the Rainbow and TreeHouse Rooms have observation windows from which you can observe your child’s interaction with peers. Please speak to your teachers if you have any concerns and they can schedule an observation.

There are many resources available for parents and caregivers. We have a great parent/child resource library outside the Rainbow Room. You can sign out adult resource books and children’s books and games.

I am available to meet or talk on the phone with any private therapists you might have for your child. Often it is helpful for them to come and visit the preschool setting. Looking forward to a fun, fantastic year!

A note from our Music Teacher Laura

During our classes this year I plan to teach the children the basic fundamentals of music (high-low, long-short, loud-soft, slow-fast) and begin – or continue! – with them what I hope to be a life-long love of music. The great childhood music education methodologist Carl Orff believed the best music education should include singing, words and poems, instruments, and movement or dance, so I will be incorporating these aspects into lessons in various ways. I also want to expose them to as much music as I can so they can appreciate and enjoy a broad range of music as they grow. We will be doing all this learning through fun and creative ways such as games, stories, songs, and music recordings. I will let them be creative and discover as much as they can for themselves in these activities.

Now at the end of September we are getting to know each other better. We are all working on our big, beautiful singing voices and we have learned a couple songs that have actions that go with them (my favourite was with the 3’s – Shake Your Sillies Out by Raffi). We also started playing instruments – shaker eggs for the 3’s and claves for the 4’s. We learned that instruments are not for hitting or putting on our faces but just for making music. We practiced loud and quiet and fast and slow, and read a story and only played our instruments on special words (it was tricky). We listened to music by the famous Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, 3rd mvt.) and avant-garde Erik Satie (Gymnopédie No. 1). We talked about the music and danced to it – free-movement dance to Mozart and mirrored group movement to Satie. 

A note from the Discovery 2's - Sali, Vibha, Danielle and Stephanie

Our youngest members of St.Catherine's Preschool are beginning to settle in nicely to the program.  Most are happy to stretch their boundaries.  A few still need a little more time to feel secure with Mom and Dad leaving.  Such is the nature of two year olds.  Often this is their first experience away from family.  They love to explore their surroundings, but need to still stay close to their primary base of support and trust.  Separation anxiety is quite strong at this stage, but often it is only the "goodbye" that is difficult.  For this reason we encourage you to make your "good-byes" short and reassuring.
Our "Jungle" family board!

We setup the rooms in a way that facilitates exploration and discovery through play.  A great deal of time is spent exploring, pushing, pulling, filling, dumping and touching.  Toddlers feel secure in environments that are familiar and for this reason you may see the same toys and equipment out for several weeks.  Two's love painting, splashing in the water table, housekeeping, singing songs and dancing at circle time.  Although, play tends to be more solitary they enjoy being in each other's company, playing side by side.  

Halloween is going to be here in few weeks.  Please keep an eye out for emails about our Halloween parties that will be held during the last week of October. A notice will be put in your child's cubby, prior to the party, listing what we will need you to bring.
All the leaves are falling down!

Please encourage your child to walk up and down the stairs holding onto the railing when being brought to or leaving the preschool.  Each day we will be going outside or to the gym, therefore, it would be nice for the children to feel comfortable with walking up and down the stairs on their own.  And it's a great way to promote gross motor skills.  Also, make sure to check your child's cubbies for beautiful art work to take home. We are still waiting for more family photos.   Please check the board outside the classroom for a synopsis of our day and please feel free to talk to us if you have any questions or concerns. 

We look forward to an exciting year- a year of tremendous growth in confidence and abilities.  We hope that this first group experience will be an enjoyable one for both you and your child.

A note from Class 301 - Permjit, Gabi and Sousan


Welcome to St. Catherine’s preschool, class 301!

School has gotten off to an excellent start. In September, we spent time getting to know each other and the children are beginning to adjust to the new environment, new routine, new faces and quickly learning how to take turns or ask for help. These are very hard tasks when you are three, almost as hard as to learn how to wait patiently for a well desired toy, how to hold the rail walking up or down the stairs, or how to line up!

Tears might be frightening to a parent dropping off a child, but be assured, those tears will be gone in a few minutes, we will do our best to help any distressed child feel safe and happy. (We do understand, we are mothers too and had our share of dropping off our own children at preschool or kindergarten.)

We will be working on academic skills to prepare your children for a good start at school, but our main objective throughout the year is to see that your child is happy and adjusting well socially.

Warning: Permjit and Gabi are big fans of messy projects! Your child will explore art and science hands-on, and our projects usually involve lots of paint, sparkles, water, sand, leaves, twigs and other objects found in nature, mud, animals (don’t worry, the plastic kind!) Please dress your children accordingly, remember, playing is their “job”, wearing “work clothes” will make them more comfortable to join any activities at preschool.

If you need to talk to us about anything or if we can be of any help to you, please see us to arrange a convenient time. We are looking forward to an exciting and enjoyable year!

A note from Class 302 - Gabi, Narine and Karen 

September is always a very exciting month to open our classroom doors to find fresh new faces, either a bit hesitant, unsure, or so ready to join the fun! We, as teachers find it challenging, exciting and interesting to get to know our new little friends and to find ways to help them feel safe and happy.
Friendship Board!

In the first weeks of school we focused on activities to help the children feel comfortable in their new environment, to become acquainted with teachers and classmates, and to learn the routines and patterns of the days at school. We sang name songs, played games in small and large groups to practice basic social skills, such as: lining up, following directions, or taking turns.

We love “messy” activities, your children will climb, roll on the floor, play with sand and water, and will be encouraged to explore freely with paint, glue. Don't be surprised if the occasional bit of dirt, foliage or woodchips ends up coming home on their clothes and in their shoes from the outdoor playground! Please dress them in comfortable, weather appropriate, washable clothing so they can be involved in all our games, art and other activities.

We are looking forward to a great school year with your little ones!

A note from Class 401 - Stephanie, Narine and Karen


Welcome back to the returning families at the preschool and welcome to the new families that are joining us this year. We have the pleasure of being in the Sunflower Room this year. Gradual entry was a great way to meet all of the children and their families. It went very smoothly and now the children have gotten very familiar with the routine of the day. We have been playing name games and songs at circle for all of the children to learn their friends names in the classroom. We have started building relationships with each child and learning so much about them each and every day.
Beautiful Autumn Trees

We have one rule at preschool which is 'no one gets hurt.' We discussed this rule at the circle with the children and described different scenarios in which we can be hurt. We talked about different strategies to use when dealing with certain situations where we don't use our bodies or our words to hurt anyone.
We worked together to create a hand-print poster for the classroom so we can always be reminded of our rule.

We painted people links and talked about what we like to do with our friends, made a friendship flower, and friendship links with our friends. We also looked in mirrors to draw a self portrait of ourselves. Then we answered some questions about some of the things we like to give everyone a chance to learn a bit more about the children in the class.

Each year we adopt a killer whale named Echo in partnership with the Vancouver Aquarium. Each child decorated their own Echo and we talked about killer whales at circle and all of the members of Echo's family. Every Friday one child will have a chance to take Echo home for the weekend.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to speak to one of the teachers.
We are looking forward to a wonderful year with your children! 

A note from Class 402 - Arsi and Danielle


What a great start to the beginning of the new school year. It was awesome to meet some new faces and welcome back some familiar ones. Everyone has settled in quickly and we have spent the first few weeks getting reacquainted with each other and our number one rule – No One Gets Hurt. We read the book “Swimmy” by Leo Leoni and learnt how to work as a team, working togther. We have also spent some time talking about sharing with our friends and learning our friends names.

Fall Collage!
We explored “Me, Myself and I” and it was interesting to see how the children pictured themselves. We used different mediums to do this, from pencils, to wool and material, to paint and also clay.We incorporated how to be a great friend into our week. Reading the story “Bear & His New Friend” and dancing together with scarves. Pairs of children painted child size cut-outs of children, which encouraged lots of talking and the sharing of ideas. We used a partner's handprint with ours, to make a 'Friendship Heart' and together we all brought a piece of fruit and helped cut it up for our “Friendship Fruit Salad".We also had the opportunity to act out some great felt stories '5 Little Elephants' and '10 in The Bed'.  We have the beginning of some great actors/actress's in the group and some who just like to be in the audience!

We just spent the week looking at fall. How the leaves change colours, why do they change? Exploring the many different types of leaves. We experimented with colours. We mixed orange, red and yellow water colour onto diffusing paper and watched it spread over the paper and change colours, just like the leaves that fall from the trees. We also used Vinegar, powdered paint and baking soda; what happens when you add all those things together? There was lots of noises, bubbles and some odd colours were discovered, so we mixed it all together and captured it on paper.
Autumn Leaves!

Just a little reminder that we are here for 4 hours, so it is better to pack more food than less and please remember to place the food item for snack in a separate container so that your children can be independent and grab their own snacks with minimal assistance from teachers.

Please continue to send extra clothing as there are some very enthusiastic painters and children who enjoy water play. With the cold weather here, please remember to send warm coats and hats. Our playground is shaded and tends to be cooler earlier in the day.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to speak to either of us.

A note from Class 304 - Stephanie, Vibha and Gabi


We would like to welcome everyone to the Treehouse Room! We enjoyed meeting all of the children and their families during out gradual entry period. Gradual entry went very well and now the children are starting to get comfortable with the classroom and daily routines of each day. We have been getting to know each child while they play and learning so much about them. They are also starting to learn all of their friends names. We have been singing name songs at circle for the children to get familiar with all of their peers in the class. It is coming together very nicely. We talked about our one rule at preschool which is 'no one gets hurt.' We read stories about how certain things may hurt friends and other ways we can deal with situations to make everyone feel safe and included. We worked together to make a hand-print poster of our rule that is now up in our classroom.
For the first few weeks we talked about friendship in the classroom and what it looks like to be a good friend. For art we painted people friendship links and we traced our hands and put them on a plate with a heart we decorated to show friendly hands.

As the weather is getting colder, we would like to remind parents to dress your child according to the weather as we will be going outside to play if it is not raining.

Next month we will be all things Fall, Thanksgiving, and Halloween.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to speak to one of the teachers.

We are looking forward to an exciting year with the children!


 A note from Class 403 - Gabi and Permjit


Yum, yum, apple muffins
Welcome to the Treehouse Room! It has been a great month seeing some familiar faces and meeting new children and their families. Gradual entry went very well. The children settled in quickly and are getting familiar with the routine of each day. During the first week we really got to know each individual child and sang a lot of songs at circle so that the children learnt each other's names as well. On our first full day of class, we talked about our one rule at preschool which is 'no one gets hurt.' We talked about how we can express ourselves in a variety different situations in a way where our bodies and our words aren't hurtful to any of our friends at preschool. We all worked together to make a handprint poster of our rule that will always be up in our classroom.

We painted people friendship links, talked about how things make us feel and the different feelings people may have. We fingerpainted with colours that made us happy. We looked into mirrors to draw self portraits of ourselves and answered some questions so everyone had a chance to get to know the other children better.
Echo our Preschool Orca!

Each year we adopt a killer whale named Echo in partnership with the Vancouver Aquarium. Each child decorated their own Echo and we talked about killer whales at circle and all of the members of Echo's family. Every Friday one child will have a chance to take Echo home for the weekend.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to speak to one of the teachers.
We are looking forward to an amazing year with your children! 

Fundraising:

This month we used some of our fundraising money to purchase some fabulous new materials for our preschool. We think that this awesome Fire Station  (pictured below) is sure to please some of our preschoolers and these "Super Sorting Pies" are so much fun to play with while practising our pre-math skills... Colour recognition, patterning, sorting and fine motor control.

We also just purchased a "Listening Station" which has 4 sets of headphones so our preschoolers can sit together and listen to a story, poetry, music or various recorded sounds. It's a great addition to our classroom materials because it allows someone who might need a break from interaction with the other children in their class to sit quietly and relax. It also allows children to practice their listening skills which are so important! We can also add another layer to our programming by playing a story which pertains to the theme we are learning about.

As the year goes on we will let you know what special items we are fundraising for and how you can get involved!

For those of you who made it down this far!! Thanks for reading our blog and have a great day!