-There's a wonderful Norwegian saying “There is no bad weather, only bad clothes!. There are so many benefits to spending time outdoors and I am excited to be able to offer an amazing outdoor setting to learn in. For most of the year, we will be outside for the entire class period. In the colder months, we will find a balance between spending the first part of class inside and then heading outside to play. We will spend the whole day inside when the weather doesn't cooperate (high winds, lightning, or below 25). Send your preschooler dressed for the weather every day.
To make this easier we've partnered with Outdoor School Shop. We have a school gear page that has recommended items. Use code: OFFWEGO whenever you checkout (unlimited uses) to get 15% off.
During the warmer months, there will always be water available to play with. Please have them wear shoes that can get wet and clothes that can get dirty. They will come home dirty which means they have had a great day of learning and exploring,
In the fall and spring, rain boots are a good option. In the winter warm waterproof snow clothes are a must with layers (base layer should NOT be cotton) so that as we warm up, we can take layers off if needed. Having a couple pairs of waterproof mittens in their gear bag is key to keeping little hands warm. Waterproof Snow boots paired with wool socks are required. Here are a couple of websites with good info on layering for cold days:
Daily Rhythm:
- Exploration of open-ended learning centers, answer question of the day, free play, and discovery.
- Circle Time: assign jobs for the day, talk about what is happening with the weather, sharing bag, graph the question of the day, talk about the letter of the week, and sing.
-Snack time while listening to lots of books.
-Small groups (Art, learning and free play)
-Clean up and gather to go home. Review what we talked about for the day.
Calendar:
-Off We Go Preschool reserves the right to cancel preschool should an emergency arise. Our school year calendar can be found on the calendar tab. Preschool will not be held on snow days when area public school classes are canceled. Preschool will also be canceled in the case of a power outage.
-The first day of preschool for all students will be our open house held on the Tuesday after Labor Day. Regularly scheduled classes will start Wednesday for the 4-year-olds and Thursday for the 3-year-olds.
-Jump Start classes will NOT be held the first week of school but will start the second week of school on Monday. Jumpstart classes will NOT be held on field trips, Friday Adventure days, Halloween programs, or Holiday party days.
-Off We Go Preschool reserves the right to cancel preschool should an emergency arise. Our school year calendar can be found on the calendar tab. Preschool will not be held on snow days when area public school classes are canceled. Preschool will also be canceled in the case of a power outage.
-The first day of preschool for all students will be our open house held on the Tuesday after Labor Day. Regularly scheduled classes will start Wednesday for the 4-year-olds and Thursday for the 3-year-olds.
-Jump Start classes will NOT be held the first week of school but will start the second week of school on Monday. Jumpstart classes will NOT be held on field trips, Friday Adventure days, Halloween programs, or Holiday party days.
Drop Off and Pick Up:
We will have curbside drop off and pick up to make it easier for you and to have less traffic congestion on the street. Preschool will be open promptly at the start of class. Please do not drop your child off before this time. For pick-up, you will be given a visor name tag that will have your child’s name on it (if you need more please let me know). If you are going to be carpooling let me know so that I can get all of the names on one tag. Display this on your dash and I will help your child to your car. Please pull forward to buckle your preschooler in. If you need to pick up your child early just let me know and come on back to the preschool to pick them up.
Please be prompt in picking up your child. If you are more than 10 minutes past the class end time a late fee will be added to next month’s tuition. The late fee is $5 per 10 minute increment the child remains (i.e., 11:30-11:40=$5, 11:40- 11:50=$10, etc.). Please pass this information on to anyone else who may be transporting your child.
Website/Social Media
I have created a website, http://offwegopreschool.blogspot.com/ that will have the monthly calendar, our themes, and other resources. I will also send out emails with the calendars and any other information that you will need. Please make sure I have an email address that you check frequently. You can also follow us on Instagram (@OffWeGoPreschool).
Sick Children
Please keep your child home if they are not feeling well. We love to learn to share in preschool, just not our germs. If they have a fever, tummy or bathroom issues, snotty nose, and/or coughing it is better they stay home and get better.
Immunizations
Every child MUST be current on their immunizations before preschool starts and continue all immunizations required during preschool attendance.
Bathroom Use
All students must be fully potty-trained before the first day of class. Have your child go to the bathroom before bringing them to preschool. I will not have time to help your child in the bathroom. Please make sure your child can use the bathroom by himself/herself. This includes wiping, flushing the toilet and thoroughly washing their hands. Occasionally accidents will happen and if one does, I will help them get cleaned up to not embarrass them. However, if accidents are reoccurring, we reserve the right to cancel or place a hold on preschool enrollment. Please let me know of any difficulties your child may have in this area. I am happy to give reminders and encouragement if needed to help make it a great experience for everyone.
Supplies
Please send your child each day with a filled, labeled water bottle. In the colder months fill it with warm water and their gear bag (we will provide these at parent orientation) Occasionally I will ask for help with certain supplies needed for our projects and collect craft items such as paper towel rolls, baby food jars, egg cartons, etc. We love big cardboard boxes if anyone has access to those.
Birthdays
Each child will get a chance to celebrate their birthday at school. If it is during the school year, I will choose the preschool day closest to their birthday. If it is a summer birthday, we will celebrate it close to their “half” birthday (6 months from their date). They are welcome to bring a treat for the class on their birthday, but it’s not required.
Snack
We will have a snack each day. We will rotate sending a snack bucket home with each of the children once a month. They love to bring in their favorite snack to share. It does not need to be anything big, but we prefer healthy snacks (i.e. Crackers, popcorn, string cheese, fruit, etc.) This will not be equivalent to a meal so please make sure your child eats breakfast before school. Please make me aware of any and all allergies your child may have.
Sharing Bag:
The Sharing Bag is a great way for children to gain confidence in speaking in front of other children. It also helps them increase their vocabulary, and build self-confidence. Each child will have the opportunity to have the Sharing Bag multiple times throughout the school year. Look for a brightly colored band on your preschooler or their backpack when it is their turn to bring the sharing bag the next school day. Help your preschooler think of hints they can give their friends about the 1 to 2 items they put in their bags. (For example, It’s soft, It’s pink and it says “oink”= a stuffed pig). This will help us practice asking and answering questions. We love it when the items brought have to do with the letter or theme of the week.
Communication
Calling, texting, and e-mail are my preferred forms of communication. I would like to use these options as well as the website, to help cut down on the number of notes in paper form. Please provide me with an e-mail address that you check regularly.
Field Trips & Programs
I love to do field trips throughout the year for all the preschoolers, to go along with our themes. To do these, I will need parents to drive their preschoolers and meet at our destination. I will give everyone plenty of advance notice so you can arrange your schedules. We love to have parents and siblings join us for the fun.
We will have a Halloween program, during class time, to show off how wonderful and talented your kids are. At the end of the year, we will have Art Night to showcase the wonderful kids' artwork they have created throughout the year!
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