A note from the office Jen McEneany Coordinator...
What a BUSY month we have had at preschool! I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone for all their hard work in making our Easter Services such a success. We love to spend time with our families and to show them how much we appreciate them; the Easter Services and tea is one of those times. We hope you enjoyed watching your children perform and then having a bite to eat and cup of tea served by the St. Catherine's team! Thank you also to those parents/grandparents who stayed behind and helped us to pack all the tables and chairs away again afterwards!
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| Beautiful apron and gift basket to win at the fundraiser! |
Tomorrow, Tuesday May 6th is our "Just For Mom" event from 7-9pm in the Rainbow/Treehouse classrooms. We really hope that all our lovely moms can make it out to do a little socializing, shopping and enter their tickets in a draw for some incredible door prizes!
Thank you to all the local businesses taking part in this event:
www.mubiblossom.ca
Arbonne: kalideans@me.com
www.instockclothing.com
Siobhan Smith: local artist
www.epicureselections.com
Norwex: christineinwhistler@gmail.com
Barefoot Books : readtomebarefoot@gmail.com
Stella & Dot: cherylcameron@shaw.ca
Personal gifts: suej421@hotmail.com
Silver Smith Jeweller: lor.rhi@telus.net
Nutirie: andreapelly@me.com
www.spiralityoflife.com
www.buddhaandtheraven.com
Studiopoplash@gmail.com
Thank you to the local businesses who donated special items to give away to our preschool mamas!
Why Knot Mom
Tea time
Heros International Food Ltd
Important upcoming dates:
www.mubiblossom.ca
Arbonne: kalideans@me.com
www.instockclothing.com
Siobhan Smith: local artist
www.epicureselections.com
Norwex: christineinwhistler@gmail.com
Barefoot Books : readtomebarefoot@gmail.com
Stella & Dot: cherylcameron@shaw.ca
Personal gifts: suej421@hotmail.com
Silver Smith Jeweller: lor.rhi@telus.net
Nutirie: andreapelly@me.com
www.spiralityoflife.com
www.buddhaandtheraven.com
Studiopoplash@gmail.com
Thank you to the local businesses who donated special items to give away to our preschool mamas!
Why Knot Mom
Tea time
Heros International Food Ltd
Important upcoming dates:
Tuesday May 6 7-9pm Just For Mom fundraiser
Thursday May 8 Scholastic orders due
Monday May 19 Preschool Closed for Victoria day
Wed/Thurs May 21/22 Music open house
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| Steph chooses felt at our professional day on Friday! |
For general information please contact Jen or Tina in the office.
Tel: 604-980-1326
Fax: 604-982-3277
Email: stcpre@telus.net
Web: www.stcatherinespreschool.com
Please LIKE our facebook page "St. Catherine's Childcare Society"
A note from the Developmental Resource Office Marion Porter...
Just want to say how proud I am of all the children for their hard work over the past weeks preparing for, and taking part in the Easter Services. It was wonderful to see them all up on the stage performing and also to see all you proud parents supporting them.
I will let everyone know what spots they have for summer school by May 31st. We do still have some spots available for afternoons. If you, or anyone else you know is interested in an afternoon spot please give me a call.
A note from the Developmental Resource Office Marion Porter...
Just want to say how proud I am of all the children for their hard work over the past weeks preparing for, and taking part in the Easter Services. It was wonderful to see them all up on the stage performing and also to see all you proud parents supporting them.
I will let everyone know what spots they have for summer school by May 31st. We do still have some spots available for afternoons. If you, or anyone else you know is interested in an afternoon spot please give me a call.
A note from the Rainbow Room Discovery Two's class Estelle, Danielle, Vibha, Stephanie and Karen...
Hello everyone,
April has been a busy month talking about spring, animals and preparing for
Easter. The children
enjoyed making rainbow fish, Easter baskets, Easter eggs, chicks, sheep puppets
and many other projects using different art mediums.
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| Discovery 2's Rainbow Fish |
We started out the month of April talking about spring and with a pet shop theme in the home corner. The
children enjoyed taking care of the “animals” using the doctor’s kits as well
as putting the animals and birds in their kennels and cages. Then we moved on
to Easter with baskets and eggs. The children enjoyed filling the baskets
and hiding the eggs in the home corner.
Next we decorated
cookies with icing and sprinkles. Some of the children enjoyed taste testing
the ingredients like real little cooks!
For Circle the
children learned to count and to recognise their colours with different felt board games.
They listened to stories by way of different mediums; felt, books, songs and drawings.
A favourite song was ‘Sleeping Bunnies’.
Shall we come and wake them with a merry tune?
Oh how still, are they ill?
Wake up sleeping bunnies!
Hop, hop, hop!
Wake up sleeping bunnies!
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| Easter chicks! |
Hop, hop, and stop!
The children are
becoming much more independent and social. They are talking to each other and
making plans such as “ let’s play cars”, “Do you want to come to my house for a
play date?” and “Can I have a turn?”. The children also need fewer reminders to
put their jackets away and pack up their snacks.Please remember as
the weather gets nicer to put sunscreen on your child and to send a sun hat to
school. While the play ground has some shade, it tends to get sunnier in the
afternoon. If you have any
questions or concerns about your child please feel free to talk one of us.
A note from the Dowununder Room class 301 Permjit and Gabi...
It's been a very hectic April with rehearsals with Cheryl as well as keeping up with all the activities in the classroom. We discussed Easter and how we celebrate it because it's the beginning of new life and we compared this concept to the fact that we can see the brand new buds on trees every spring and how some have already started to bloom.
For the children the best part was the Easter egg hunt and how they just missed the Easter bunny who had left them some yummy chocolate eggs to find. They had to find three each and then they helped their friends who couldn't find more than one.
We are finding that they seem to be really enjoying each others company and will invite themselves over to a friend's house to play after preschool!! We have talked about how it's a really good idea to discuss it with your mum and dad and make a plan which works for both families!
They are real social little butterflies and will also be feisty and let one another know when they are not happy. We are working on this and learning that we do not use our body/legs/arms to make a point but instead our voices. We are trying to step back sometimes and let them deal with conflict so that they learn to resolve their differences of opinion themselves, although we are right there when needed, but this skill is incredibly important to learn and develop over time.
We love the fact that each child has a unique personality and that they will speak up but we are now helping them to understand that sometimes even words can really hurt someone's feelings and if we would like to say that we are unhappy or don't want to be part of a game, there is a kind way to say it. We are helping them with the words to use and continue to emphasize the importance of personal space.
The children did such a marvvelous job at the Easter Service and I am sure you were just as proud as we were! Having tea with our families was a wonderful way to end the day! Thank you for making it so special and being there to enjoy it with us. A big thank you to Jen, Tina and Marion who worked tirelessly, we know a lot went into making it happen. Cheryl is loved so much by the children that music day is one of the highlights of the week and spending so much time rehearsing and still making everyone laugh is what Cheryl does best! Thank you Cheryl!!
A sign-up sheet has gone up on the bulletin board if you would like to spend a morning or even just an hour in the classroom. Please make arrangements for younger siblings so you can fully focus on your child and let them share their preschool with you, thank you.
A note from the Downunder Room class 302 Gabi, Rachel and Sali...
This past month has been a lot of fun and very busy. Our three's worked so hard learning their songs for the Easter Service and I think you will agree that they all sang beautifully up in the Church. It was lovely to share their hard work with you and then spending time all together for the tea was a great way to end a special day.
We also spent time taking part in traditional Easter activities; egg dyeing, Easter egg hunts and art work which focused on rabbits, chicks and eggs!
The children are maturing, making close friendships and learning how to use words even when a situation may be frustrating. We know they are almost ready to move up to the big fours for next year! Please come and speak to us if you have any questions or concerns.
A note from the Treehouse Room class 304 Stephanie and Gabi...
We really
enjoyed the Easter service and tea. The children were so proud to perform their
songs and worked very hard practicing. We are so proud of them. It's very hard
to stand in front of everyone and perform. Cheryl did a fantastic job and it
helps that the children adore her and absolutely love music with her. In the
background we have Marion who does a lot of running around and get all our
props ready. Jen and Tina make our Tea go without a hitch. I'm sure they must
not want to see a cucumber sandwich for a while!! We loved the yummy food
prepared and have to say a big thank you because without them, us teachers
wouldn't be able to pull it off.
While rehearsing we managed to fit in quite a bit. We bought in two white boiled eggs and decorated them using water colours. We had fun listening to stories about the Easter bunny and about Easter. Our all time favourite was when the Easter bunny left us some chocolate eggs to find. We had to find five each and helped our friends when we found ours. This was so much fun, made us laugh, got us to work together and produced endless chatter about how the Easter bunny manages to hide eggs without us noticing!
A note from the Dowununder Room class 301 Permjit and Gabi...
It's been a very hectic April with rehearsals with Cheryl as well as keeping up with all the activities in the classroom. We discussed Easter and how we celebrate it because it's the beginning of new life and we compared this concept to the fact that we can see the brand new buds on trees every spring and how some have already started to bloom.
 |
| Simple and fun, pots of brightly coloured paint are always a big hit! |
For the children the best part was the Easter egg hunt and how they just missed the Easter bunny who had left them some yummy chocolate eggs to find. They had to find three each and then they helped their friends who couldn't find more than one.
We are finding that they seem to be really enjoying each others company and will invite themselves over to a friend's house to play after preschool!! We have talked about how it's a really good idea to discuss it with your mum and dad and make a plan which works for both families!
They are real social little butterflies and will also be feisty and let one another know when they are not happy. We are working on this and learning that we do not use our body/legs/arms to make a point but instead our voices. We are trying to step back sometimes and let them deal with conflict so that they learn to resolve their differences of opinion themselves, although we are right there when needed, but this skill is incredibly important to learn and develop over time.
We love the fact that each child has a unique personality and that they will speak up but we are now helping them to understand that sometimes even words can really hurt someone's feelings and if we would like to say that we are unhappy or don't want to be part of a game, there is a kind way to say it. We are helping them with the words to use and continue to emphasize the importance of personal space.
 |
| Estelle, Gabi and Sali making felt board stories during our Pro Day! |
A sign-up sheet has gone up on the bulletin board if you would like to spend a morning or even just an hour in the classroom. Please make arrangements for younger siblings so you can fully focus on your child and let them share their preschool with you, thank you.
A note from the Downunder Room class 302 Gabi, Rachel and Sali...
This past month has been a lot of fun and very busy. Our three's worked so hard learning their songs for the Easter Service and I think you will agree that they all sang beautifully up in the Church. It was lovely to share their hard work with you and then spending time all together for the tea was a great way to end a special day.
We also spent time taking part in traditional Easter activities; egg dyeing, Easter egg hunts and art work which focused on rabbits, chicks and eggs!
The children are maturing, making close friendships and learning how to use words even when a situation may be frustrating. We know they are almost ready to move up to the big fours for next year! Please come and speak to us if you have any questions or concerns.
A note from the Treehouse Room class 304 Stephanie and Gabi...
April
showers bring May flowers! We did see a lot of rain in April and now it is
wonderful to see all of the beautifully coloured flowers in bloom everywhere.
It really is starting to look like spring. We also got a few sunny days which
we love to see because that gives us a chance to play outside. We even opened
our sand box outside which the children really enjoyed. We would like to remind
parents to please send your child in proper running shoes as we will be going
outside more often with the weather getting nicer.
 |
| Make-it table fun! |
We
were very busying getting ready for Easter this month. We made chicks, painted
Easter baskets, decorated eggs, and dyed hard boiled eggs. We also got a lovely
surprise from an animal that hops; it was the Easter Bunny! He filled our room with
chocolate eggs that we had to find. It was so exciting going on an Easter egg
hunt.
With
all of the Easter excitement, we also had one more thing we were excited about;
the Easter services. The children were amazing up there. All of their hard work
practicing their songs showed. We would like to give a big thank you to Cheryl
and Marion for making it all come together so beautifully. It was great seeing
all of the families up in the gym for the tea afterwards. It was to spend time with everyone.
This
month we also decorated jeans for jeans week. We collected donations for the BC
Children's Hospital in the umbrellas we had up in the classrooms. Thank you for
all of your donations.
The
children have grown so much through the year and they are forming relationships
with the other children in the classroom. It is great to watch how their play
has progressed. We are seeing a lot more back and fourth conversations and
working together with their peers.
For
the month of May we are inviting parents to come and spend the day with us.
There is a sign up sheet on our bulletin board if you would like to do
so. Next
month we will be talking about beaches and all things that are under the
sea. If
you have any questions or concerns please feel free to speak to one of the
teachers.
A note from the Treehouse Room class 401 Sali, Rachel and Karen..
April has just flown by with all the Easter
activities.The children enjoyed painting Easter egg
pictures, bunnies and baskets at the easel. For art, they decorated egg shapes with
tape, pastels and sparkles. They enjoyed dying their eggs that they brought
from home and making a basket to put them in.
At circle, we read ’It’s the Easter Beagle
Charlie Brown’ and listened to ‘The Golden Egg Book’ with props.The home corner had egg cartons and
coloured eggs to sort, count and find.
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| Our Ant farm |
The last day before Easter, a special
visitor came to the classroom. He left a note for the children explaining that
he had hidden eggs for them to find and that there were five eggs each. The
children had fun finding the eggs and putting them in their baskets.
The children practised very hard for the
Easter services and were so proud to perform the songs in front of friends and
family members. It was lovely to see you all at the tea.
Our ant farm (Formicarium) has arrived in
our classroom. The children are enjoying watching the ants work and make
tunnels in their colony.
On Wednesdays, we have started doing
journal writing. The children have each decorated their own journal book. Each
week, they draw a picture, sometimes the teachers help them with an idea and
sometimes the children choose what to draw. The teachers write down the words
that the children use to talk about their picture.
We have now started a unit on science, we
will be doing experiments and changing the home corner into a laboratory!
A note from the Treehouse/Rainbow Room class 402 Arsi, Stephanie, Karen and Cheryl...
Wow
what a busy month it has been! It just seemed to fly by with everything we had
going on at the preschool. The Easter services were a huge success. Cheryl did
an amazing job bringing everything together and Marion made many wonderful
props. We couldn't have done it without them! The children were excellent
singers up there. They worked very hard at remembering their songs and words.
It was great to see all of the families afterwards for our tea in the gym and spend some time with you.
The
month of April was all about Easter! We decorated eggs, painted baskets, painted
a group basket, made bunnies, and dyed hard boiled eggs. We had a very special
surprise from the Easter bunny one day. He stopped by the preschool to hide
chocolate eggs in the classroom. It was very exciting to go on an egg
hunt.
We
also spent one week decorating jeans for jeans week. We had umbrellas up in the
classroom for donations that we were collecting for the BC Children's Hospital.
Thank you for all your donations.
The
children have been very enthusiastic about their journals. Each week they are
drawing a picture in them and telling us a story about their picture. It is a
great way to let them be creative and use their imagination.
 |
| Little jeans for Jean Week! |
With
the weather getting nicer we would like to remind parents to send your child in
proper running shoes as we will be going outside as much as possible.
For
the month of May we are inviting parents to spend the day with us. Please sign
up on the bulletin boards.
Next
month we will be talking about Hawaii!
If you have any
questions or concerns please feel free to speak to one of the teachers.
A note from the Treehouse Room class 403 Stephanie and Permjit...
April was a very busy month and the children did a
marvellous job of keeping up with not only the activities but rehearsals
which kept them on their toes!
We really
enjoyed the Easter service and tea. The children were so proud to perform their
songs and worked very hard practicing. We are so proud of them. It's very hard
to stand in front of everyone and perform. Cheryl did a fantastic job and it
helps that the children adore her and absolutely love music with her. In the
background we have Marion who does a lot of running around and get all our
props ready. Jen and Tina make our Tea go without a hitch. I'm sure they must
not want to see a cucumber sandwich for a while!! We loved the yummy food
prepared and have to say a big thank you because without them, us teachers
wouldn't be able to pull it off. While rehearsing we managed to fit in quite a bit. We bought in two white boiled eggs and decorated them using water colours. We had fun listening to stories about the Easter bunny and about Easter. Our all time favourite was when the Easter bunny left us some chocolate eggs to find. We had to find five each and helped our friends when we found ours. This was so much fun, made us laugh, got us to work together and produced endless chatter about how the Easter bunny manages to hide eggs without us noticing!
 |
| We decorated tiny pairs of jeans! |
We played
games and continued to work on kindergarten readiness. We are fortunate to have
Marion who will come in and give us a hand to make sure all the children are
ready for the next big chapter in their lives and help the transition into elementary school go a little more smoothly.
Towards the end of April, we had our ‘jeans week’. The teachers and children wore jeans in support of BC Children’s hospital. The children decorated tiny pairs of jeans and we had an umbrella in each classroom to collect donations. The children were enthusiastic about bringing their coins to toss in!
Towards the end of April, we had our ‘jeans week’. The teachers and children wore jeans in support of BC Children’s hospital. The children decorated tiny pairs of jeans and we had an umbrella in each classroom to collect donations. The children were enthusiastic about bringing their coins to toss in!
We have a
sign up sheet if you would like to spend the afternoon with us. If you would like to
bring in an activity, play a game or read a particular favourite book or just
hang out! We look forward to you coming in and just playing with us!!
