A Note from the Principal’s Desk:  This month we are celebrating Love and Friendship.  We are so grateful for all the families that are apart of our Merryhill Family.  The classes will be having a Valentine’s Party on February 14th, please sign up on your child’s classroom door to bring in something.  This month the children will be also learning the important roles both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln played in our world, along with other president’s. In addition the children will be learning about Black History Month and Dental Awareness.

Priority Registration will begin this month, for the 2017-2018 school year! We are currently full and we anticipate full enrollment for the upcoming year, so please take this opportunity to make sure you register and reserve your spot.  Registration papers will be placed in your child’s sign in/out sheets, if you don’t receive it by the 20th, please see Ms. Nieva or Ms. Robin.

We would also like to thank all the parents who took time and filled out their parent surveys.  We appreciate your positive feedback and comments they are very important to us.

If you every have any suggestions or concerns please feel free to email me or contact me directly at the school, also you can contact Ms. Robin at the front desk as well.

Nieva Gatbonton

Principal

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Valentine Grams go on Sale                                   1st

Groundhog’s Day                                                     2nd

Football Day                                                              3rd

Cooking Class                                                            6th-10th

Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday                                   13th

Valentine Gram Delivery                                        13th

Valentine’s Day                                                         14th

President’s Day  SCHOOL CLOSED                   20th

George Washington’s Birthday                               21st

Mexican Flag Day                                                     24th

Skill Cards Available                                                 28th

VALENTINE GRAMS:  We will begin to sell Valentine Grams on February 1st.  You can show your child some “love” with a sweet special treat.  Please turn your form and money in to the front office by Friday February 10th.

MINI KICKERS:  Challenger Sports will begin on February 13th.  If you have not registered you can still do so at www.challengersports.com , there are a few spots left.

SKILL CARDS:  Skill Cards will be available starting February 28th.  Please email Ms. Robin at robin.kemmer@nlcinc.com if you would like a copy.  This is a great way to keep track of your child’s progress in their class.

PRESIDENT’S DAY:  Just a reminder we are CLOSED on February 20th in observance of President’s Day!

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY:  Please mark your calendars for Monday March 6th, we are CLOSED for a Teacher In Service Day.  This is an opportunity for the teacher to go to educational workshops and come back with some great ideas to implement their classrooms.

Few friendly reminders …….

Health & Safety First:

• Upon arrival and during pick-up time, please make sure that you sign your child in and out in the sign-in/out binder located in the front office. All information must be completed on each line and be clearly legible. You must write a phone number each day where we can reach you immediately should there be a need for it.
• Should you require an alternate person to pick-up your child, please give a written letter to the office, stating the name of the person who is authorized to pick up. Please inform the person picking up the child that they must provide a valid form of identification with photo. A staff will ask for I.D. to properly identify this person as someone who is authorized to pick-up your child.
• It is very important that you make contact with the teacher on duty when arriving or picking-up your child. This will help you better understand how your child’s day went and allow you time to ask any questions and/or voice any concerns you may have.
• Please make sure to carefully review our Sick and Medication policies. Our goal is to maintain a healthy environment for all our children and staff. We are asking you to abide by our sick policy as we will continue to enforce those policies with every enrolled student. Although their symptoms may not abide by the sick child policy, the school administration will determine when a child needs to go home according to their well being. On occasion, symptoms may be outside the parameter of our Sick Child Policy, at that time the school administration will contact you if we feel your child needs parental care.
• With the exception of our infant population, children at Merryhill Preschool will be involved in physical fitness activities, both indoors and outdoors, as an important part of the curriculum. If a parent believes that his/her child is not well enough to participate, s/he will probably be more comfortable at home in more familiar surroundings. The school is not equipped to accommodate the needs of a sick child. Additionally, to prevent widespread flu in the school, we recommend that your child stay home from school if experiencing flu or cold symptoms.
• During the summer months we will try to maintain our playground schedule when weather permits. We ask that parents put sunscreen on the children before they come to school. We also ask that you maintain a bottle of sunscreen in your child’s classroom and teachers will reapply as needed.
• Please make sure all doors close securely behind you when you leave a room or the building. Please refrain from exiting through the Emergency Exit Door to the parking lot. (We do not want the children to think it is okay to use this door.)
  Please do not give out your door code to anyone other than the primary people on your pick up list.
  Please do not allow “piggy backing” at the front door. If there is someone behind or in front of you that does not know the code, please ring the door bell, which is located above the key pad.

Parking Lot Safety

Please remember not to leave any valuables in your car (including your children) when entering our building or any other location. With the slump in the economy, thieves are getting BOLD! They are taking part in a practice  refer as “Smash and Grab”. They target mostly women’s cars who leave without a purse in hand who have left their purses, lap tops, etc. sitting in plain view in their locked vehicles! The “locked vehicle” does not stop them as they come prepared with a special glass breaking tool! They break your window, grab what they want and speed away!

Please do not leave anything of value or that resembles a purse or bag in plain view in your car, for any amount of time! This includes your children!

Rules for Vehicles While On School Grounds: 

Because the safety of our children is of paramount concern to us, we require all parents to adhere to the following rules of the road while on campus:

1. There is a 5 miles per hour speed limit at all times while on school property.
2. Park in designated parking spaces only.
3. While on school grounds, pedestrians always have the right of way.
4. Vehicle ignitions MUST be turned off, and the keys removed, while parked on school grounds.
5. Children may NOT be left unattended in a vehicle at any time or for any reason.
6. Violations of these rules may result in a warning. If a violation is serious, or if violations continue, school personnel are authorized to take a tag number for a report to the local police.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep all of our children safe.

Tuition Policy Reminder:

• Tuition is due no later than Friday prior to the week of attendance. Tuition is considered delinquent at 12:00 PM on Monday. A $25 late fee charge will be assessed at that time and should be included in your payment. Tuition is continuous throughout the year. There are no deductions in tuition for absences, illness, or the holidays that are observed throughout the year. Each child is entitled to one week of vacation credit for each school year after attending school for six months. Requests for vacation credit must be presented in writing to the office at least two weeks in advance.
• A charge of $1 per minute will be assessed for children picked-up after 12:30 PM for half-day students, and 6:00 PM for full-day students.
• Sign up for our Automatic Payment Program and avoid late fee charges! 

Additional Reminders:

• Please make sure that your child has a crib-sized fitted sheet to cover his/her mat, a blanket, and at least two spare set of clothing in his/her cubby. On Fridays, you must take blankets and sheets home to be laundered and return them on Mondays. Please check your child’s cubby everyday for soiled clothing or other items that may need to be taken home. Please also make sure all items are clearly marked with your child’s name (clothing, sheets, blankets, sweaters and jackets, towels and bathing suits, etc.).
• We ask that your child wear appropriate shoes to School in order to protect them for potential injuries. Flip Flops are not permitted at school.
• Merryhill provides a hot lunch as well as a morning and afternoon snack. We do not provide breakfast, but we’ll be happy to assist your child with breakfast brought from home until 8:45 AM. If you would like your child to eat breakfast at school, he/she must arrive by 8:30 AM.
• Merryhill School is a NUT FREE environment, we ask that you not bring any food items into the school that contain nut products.
• In order to keep you informed of everything happening at Merryhill, please check the Merryhill Links to Learning Parent Board and students’ files located in each classroom, our monthly newsletter, and our website. In an effort to establish prompt communication with parents please make sure to provide us with an e-mail address for up-to-date e-notifications.

10 Fun and Interactive Books for Infants and Toddlers

February, 2017   |   Topics: Language & Literacy

You’re probably aware that reading to children at a young age has a profound influence on vocabulary acquisition, speech development and listening skills. If you’re a parent of an infant or toddler, you may have noticed that interactive books are especially likely to hold their attention. Pat the Bunny and[.....]
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