Calendar
Preschool will begin on September 7, 2015 and end May 20, 2016.
School hours will be from 9:30am - 12:00pm. School will be held Monday thru Friday, except holidays and recesses―following
Jordan School District Schedule. Reminders will be noted on monthly calendars if school will not be in session.
School will NOT be in session on the following days:
1. Thanksgiving
2. Winter Recess/Christmas
3. Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Pre-K Class only)
4. Presidents Day (Pre-K Class only)
5. Spring Recess
*Parents and students will be invited to attend a class orientation in August where they will have the opportunity to meet their teacher and classmates. Invitations will be mailed out the first of August.
Tuition
Tuition is due on the 1st class day of each month. If tuition is paid after the 1st class day of each month, a late fee of $5.00 will be added to the late tuition payment due no later than the 15th of the month. Delinquent accounts without prior arrangements will be cause for your child’s dismissal from school.
I follow the Jordan School District calendar school year. We will have no school on days that the elementary schools are out, such as holidays and recesses. Tuition will still remain the same for the month.
Tuition for school days missed will be non-refundable. If your child will miss school for any reason please notify me and I will gladly save their work and/or art
projects they may miss.
Payment Type
If paying by check please make checks payable to Michelle McFarlane. (There
will be a $20.00 charge on returned checks.) Cash is accepted as well, however in using cash it needs to be
placed in a sealed envelope with your child’s name written on it.
*There will be no additional fees throughout the year for your child who will be attending Preschool. Daily snacks and all school materials are provided by the school. There may be a fee for parents and additional siblings whom may accompany us on field trips. There are also times that your child may be asked to bring a snack/treat to share with the class.
Dropping Off and Picking Up
Children should arrive at school no earlier than 5 minutes before class time and be picked up no later than 5 minutes after class has ended.
Each morning I will be waiting outside in front of my home so that we can go into the classroom together. I will be there 5 minutes to the start of class. If the weather conditions are bad, such as raining, snowing, or extremely windy I will be just inside the front door waiting. If you arrive after the schedule class time please walk your child to the preschool room. I will lock the door of my home 15 minutes after the start of the scheduled class time for safety purposes as we will be in the basement.
After preschool I will walk the children from the preschool room to the side walk in front of my house for easy pick up. The students are not allowed to walk/run into the road and will have to stay on the sidewalk until an adult/parent escorts them to their car. (Please stress to your child that he/she is not to cross the street at any time to go to their car unless they are accompanied by an adult/parent.) If you choose to park across the street please watch for us to come out, and be waiting to escort your child across the street.
(*When entering my street please drive slowly and be cautious of children. You may park on any side of the road, following traffic laws. Do not park in the alleyways as parking is not allowed. Please do not block neighbor’s driveways or park in front of the general mailbox. Please do not use cell phones while you are driving on my street OR while you are dropping off or picking up your child. Safety is very important at this time.)
Walking Alone
If your child will be allowed to walk to/from preschool on a regular basis, or at anytime, without being accompanied by an adult/parent you must sign the authorization form that will be available to you at time of orientation. Please make sure they are dependable to walk to/from preschool themselves. Children at preschool age tend to get very distracted and may wander. Please stress to your child to stay on the sidewalk at all times.
Persons Approved to Pick Up
If someone other than the mother or father will be picking up your child please fill out the “Persons Approved To Pick Up” section on the registration form, otherwise, your child will not be released to leave the preschool. This includes carpooling. If someone other than the parents will be picking up your child from preschool and you did not fill out the “Persons Approved To Pick Up” section on the registration form please send a signed note allowing your child to leave the preschool with this person. Please let those whom may be picking up your child know that a photo ID may be asked to be seen. Please note this is for safety purposes and it is not to inconvenience you or the person approved for picking up.
Early Pick Up
If your child needs to be picked up early from preschool please let me know in advance or at time of drop off, verbal or with a note. Please write the time on the note so your child will be ready for early pick up. Note: I will be unable to walk your child out to you—so you must come into the preschool room to pick your child up.
Bathroom
Alphabet Monkeys requires that your child is potty trained to attend…unless prior authorization. Your child will need to be able to use the restroom on their own, this including pulling up pants. If needed, I can assist with buttoning or snapping of the pants.
*Note: If your child has an accident I will contact you to come help them change into dry clothing-- changing their clothes/pull-up-- in the upstairs bathroom allowing them to continue with class time.
Discipline/Classroom Management
Students at this age in life are still learning right from wrong; they are learning to follow rules, and to get along with their peers. They need to be taught appropriate behavior for different situations. They need to learn their behavior can sometime affect others around them. Preschool is a great time for young child to understand and learn the difference between right and wrong choices.
A “Behavior Chart” is set up in our classroom to assist with this classroom management. We will discuss this chart as a class the first preschool day. We will create a list of rules together for our classroom. Thus giving them the opportunity to feel they have power distinguishing right from wrong and what is appropriate and not. I love to use the “Love and Logic” approach. A letter will be in their folder giving more detail of the behavior chart and how it works.
Preschool age children will forget rules easier than elementary age children, thus I am lenient on class behavior and give them a reminder―helping them understand the reasons why we have the class rule. When a child is in conflict with another child, I will allow them to work out their disagreement on their own before I step in to help resolve the issue. In some cases, I will not be as lenient and you will be notified as the parent of these wrong choices, such as hitting, biting, kicking, pinching, spiting, name calling, etc. These types of behaviors will not be allowed. If these types of behaviors continue after working with the child and parent, this may be cause of dismissal from Alphabet Monkeys Preschool. This policy is in place to keep the students and teacher safe, both physically and emotionally. Each child should feel safe and excited to walk through the preschool door.
Sickness/Accidents/Emergency
Sickness
If your child is sick please be courteous and do not send your child to preschool. Please be mindful of the other students, their families, and the teacher. I will collect all their work and have it for them when they are well to return. If a child is brought to school sick and I feel other children or myself are at risk of getting sick, I will contact you to come pick your child up.
*Note: Some children may have seasonal allergies, please let me know if that is the case, so I don’t mistake it for a sickness. Let me know if your child is on an antibiotic and has been on it longer than 48 hours.
Symptoms of Being Sick:
· Fever (Still contagious within 24 hours after the fever has broken
without taking medication to relieve the fever)
· Cough
· Sore throat
· Runny or stuffy nose
· Body aches, clammy skin, or chills
· Headache
· Fatigue
· Diarrhea (Still contagious within 24 hours after last occurrence)
· Vomiting (Still contagious within 24 hours after last occurrence)
· Rash
Accidents/Emergency
In case an accident occurs, depending on the severity, I will contact you to pick up your child. I will clean and provide a Band-Aid if it is something such as a little scratch or cut. I will contact you to pick up your child if your child injury’s themselves (such as a larger cut, broken bone, hard fall, etc.). If an emergency should arise, in the event that you cannot be located, I will provide care and administer first aid or call for emergency help. I will then allow further help to be performed by your child’s licensed physician, InstaCare/KidsCare, or Hospital care if deemed necessary. Any expenses occurred will be paid for by the parent or guardian of the child. The emergency contact section must be filled out on the registration form as well as your signature in the case I can not get in contact with you or any emergency contact persons listed, this allowing me to seek additional medical care.
Backpacks/Folders
Backpacks
Each child will need to bring a backpack each day to class with their name clearly written on it, either on the back or on an attached labeling tag. The students will bring their work home with them daily. There will also be additional items sent home, such as a monthly calendar, book club order forms, authorization forms for field trips, etc.
Folders
The day of orientation, I will send home a folder for your child. Please send this folder each day to class in their backpack. We will practice taking the folders out and zipping up their backpack. The papers coming home will be placed in their folder.
*Please take the time each preschool day to go through your children’s backpacks to look at their work... praising them and encourage them to tell you what they have learned that day. This will help your child know that what they learn in school is important and feel your excitement for their ability to learn.
Show-n-Tell
Alphabet Monkeys Preschool will have show-n-tell every week. Please see the monthly calendar for the days we will be having show-n-tell. Please have your child bring ONE item to share with the class. This item must be able to fit in their backpack and our class bin so that it will not be distracting to the class. I have noted each week on the monthly calendar an item that they are to bring that will go along with the weekly theme, something that starts with the letter of the week, the color of the week, etc. Please NO weapons, such as play guns, knives, or swords. Due to allergy concerns and safety, please NO pets.
Each student will have an opportunity to stand in front of the class and tell about the item they have brought. The night before show-n-tell please help your child practice what they may say about his/her item, at least for the first month of show-n-tell. This may be new to them and they may not feel comfortable enough to stand in front of everyone and know what to say. I will be right next to them to help in anyway needed.
Surprise Box (Pre-K)
Each week one student has the opportunity to place their show-n-tell in a mystery box─ which will be sent home with your child the day prior to show-n-tell. Help them find an item that will fit in the box and then help them write three clues as to what it is they have placed in the box. There will a note card placed in an envelope on the top of the box for the clues to be written on. Please keep the clues at a preschool level.
Homework and Reading Calendar
Homework
Preschool Class (3-4 yrs old)
Homework for the Preschool class will be sent home
in October. We will make Coconut Trees for take home. Each day a new
letter is introduce they will receive the uppercase and lowercase
plastic magnetic letter to take home for their coconut tree. I will send
home a print out of different ways you can practice letter recognition
and beginning sounds. This is optional to complete. If the child chooses
to practice their letters twice a week, you will mark the calendar and
bring it back to school. Your child will receive a sticker for their
homework game board.
Pre-K Class (4-5 yrs old)
Homework will be sent home every Wednesday for the
Pre-K class. This is optional to complete. If the child chooses to
complete the homework, they may bring it back to school and receive a
ticket for their homework.
Reading
Preschool and Pre-K Class
Reading calendars will be sent home monthly. This
is optional to complete. Every four days per week that a student reads a
story with mom/dad and color in the square, they may bring it back to
school and receive a sticker (Preschool)/ a ticket (Pre-K).
Stickers and Tickets
Preschool Class (3-4 yrs old)
When 4 stickers for homework and reading slips are
earned they will land on a prize box on the Preschool game board--they
get to choose a prize from the treasure box.
Pre-K Class (4-5 yrs old)
When 4 tickets for homework and reading slips are earned they turn them in--they get to choose a prize from the treasure box.
Preschool Year Book
We will be doing many different activities and projects that may be noted on the monthly calendar. It is exciting to see what they created that day but… I will not send home everything your child completes. Instead I will compile some of their projects into a Preschool Year Book that they can take home at the end of the year. If your child does not bring home a project some days it does not mean that we didn’t work on or complete it. The end of the year book is a great way for parents to have an organized keepsake of their child’s preschool experience.
Snack Time
Alphabet Monkeys Preschool will provide a small snack each class day. This snack will consist of crackers, pretzels, fruit, etc. and a cup of water. If your child has a food allergy please see that I am notified of this allergy and please send a snack from home that your child will be able to eat at this time. Please talk with your child and let them know that it is only a snack. It is important that they eat breakfast before class time.
Field Trips
Alphabet Monkeys Preschool will be taking field trips this preschool year. Permission slips will be sent home a week prior to the field trip date. This must be signed and returned in order for your child to attend the field trip. Please return the permission slip on the due date, this will allow me to make arrangements for drivers and helpers.
Parents are encouraged to attend the field trips. This gives your child an opportunity to be with you and share a preschool experience. There are no additional fees for students registered in my class, but there may be a fee for the parent(s) and additional siblings that may attend.
Catch of the Day
Throughout the school year, a student will be picked to be spotlighted and recognized as our Catch of the Day. A note and 12X12 cardstock will be sent home a couple weeks prior to your child’s special day and it will be noted on the monthly calendar as a reminder. At this time I ask you to bring the 12X12 cardstock with their name written on it, pictures, drawings, magazine clipping of the things they like (food, toys, hobbies, etc.), and/or anything else they may want to add. These will be displayed in one central location throughout the year. Note: The decorated cardstock will be given back at the end of the preschool year. Parents and siblings are invited to come and tell about their child on the day chosen.
“Get to Know You” Book
At the start of orientation I will hand out a “Get to Know You” questionnaire to be filled out about your child. During orientation I will have the students draw a picture that will go into our “Get to Know You” Book, with the questionnaire you filled out. I will also be taking a picture of your child that will be placed on the top section of the questionnaire. The questionnaire will ask simple information such as their name, their favorite color, their favorite food, etc. I will combine all students’ pages into a little binder. Each student when selected for Catch of the Day will have the opportunity to bring the book home and share it with their families. This is a fun way for your child and his/her family to get to know their classmates.
Birthdays
Birthdays are very important to preschool children. We celebrate the
special day with a song, special chair pocket, birthday crown, and
birthday cards. You may bring a store bought treat if you wish to help
your child celebrate his/her birthday. For those students that have
birthdays during the summer, they will be celebrated at the end of the
preschool year in May.
Book Club Orders
Scholastic Book Club orders will be sent home monthly. These will have due dates, so please watch for them to come home with your child. The due date will be noted on the monthly calendar. This is a great opportunity to get new books and raise your child's excitement for reading. No obligation to order.
