Newsletter

January 5, 2011

Dear Co-Op Parents:

Happy New Year to you and your families!  It seems like we have been out of school for such a long time and I hope your children are all excited about returning to our classroom.  Some of the children may be a little nervous and "teary" about coming back to school, but don't worry, that is to be expected after such a long break.  I am confident that we will be back to our normal routine in no time!

I would like to take a moment to express our gratitude to each and every one of you for helping to make our Holiday Show such a spectacular event.  The students were thrilled to see such a large audience and they seemed to have a wonderful time at the party afterwards.  Thank you for all that you did to make the event such a special experience for us.  Thank you all very much for the thoughtful gifts that we received.  Your kindness and generosity are truly appreciated.

January is sure to be a busy month.  We have our Parent's Meeting on Thursday, January 20th, at 7:30pm in the gym.  We also will have our second field trip of the year.  We are going to meet at Bounce U on the 27th.  Conferences for our younger students (Green and Yellow Groups) will take place the week of the 25th during class hours.  More information about these events will be forthcoming and the January calendar was sent home before the break.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the Parent's Meeting.  As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Nancy Rinehimer

December 1, 2010

Dear Parents,

It's hard to believe that November is over!  Didn't the time just fly by?  The students spent time learning about the Pilgrims and what the first Thanksgiving was all about.  Their "thankful feathers" were beautiful and they loved sharing them with the class.  Thank you all for the time and effort you put into this project.  Thank you also for your contributions for out Thanksgiving Feast and for coming to hear our Thanksgiving songs.  We hope you had as much fun as we did!

We have been working diligently on learning how to write our names.  Each child received a laminated name card in their cubby.  Please have your child practice his/her name on this card with a dry-erase marker.  When we return from out winter break, each child will be expected to write their own name on their papers.  Some of them may need help, but with practice at school and at home, each child should be able to accomplish this on their won. 

I have sent home individual Skills Assessments for each child and I ask that you please sign and return your child's assessment after you have reviewed it.  These will give you some insight into what we have been learning in school.  If you have any questions or concerns about your child's assessment, please feel free to contact me.  We will be having conferences in January and February as well.

December is sure to be a busy month.  I would like to discuss various Holidays that are celebrated in December, so if your family has any special traditions that you would like to share with the class, please let me know.  We would love to have guest speakers come in and teach us about their special days.  Our last day of school before winter break will December 16th and that will also be the date of our Holiday Party.  Santa will be visiting the children that day, so if your child is uncomfortable around Santa, please let me know in advance.  We will be performing a little holiday skit, as well as some songs, so feel free to let your family members know about his event.   

Sincerely,

Nancy Rinehimer

Newsletter

October 28, 2010

Dear Parents,

What a wonderful October we had at the co-op!  We were very busy with our visit from the fire department, our first field trip, school pictures and our Halloween parade and party.  The children really seemed to enjoy all of the excitement each week brought.  I am amazed at how well they handled the additional activities.  Children often find changes to their routine to be stressful, but they all seemed to enjoy these events.

We will begin working more in learning centers.  This will allow me to work with smaller groups of students at a time, while their classmates are engaged in other activities.  One of the advantages of learning centers is that we will be able to spend time focusing on each individual student's needs.  One of our learning centers will be dedicated to helping the students master writing their names.  Our pre-Kindergarten students are learning the write their first and last names "the Kindergarten way".   Our preschoolers will practice their names using all capital letters.  Each student will be bringing home a name card for practice at home.  A dry-eraser marker will be needed for home practice. 

Please remember to refer to our website for additional information.  Important dates to remember can be found on the website along with printable learning activities your child can do at home.  Please note that school will be closed on November 4th for the Teacher's Convention.  We have a half-day on November 24th and will be closed on November 25th for Thanksgiving. 

As we reach the end of the first "marking period", I will be sending home progress updates for each child.  We will have conferences in January and February, but I would like to keep you informed on how your child is progressing in school.  As always, if you have any questions or concerns about how your child is doing, please feel free to ask.   

Sincerely,

Nancy Rinehimer

Newsletter

December 1, 2009

Dear Parents,

It’s hard to believe that November is over!  Didn’t the time just fly by?  The students spent time learning about the Pilgrims and what the first Thanksgiving was all about.  Their “thankful feathers” were beautiful and they loved sharing them with the class.  Thank you all for the time and effort you put into this project.   Thank you also for your contributions for our Thanksgiving Feast and for coming to hear our Thanksgiving songs.  We hope you had as much fun as we did!

We have been working diligently on learning how to write our names.  Each child received a laminated name card in their cubbies .  Please have your child practice his/her name on this card with a dry-erase marker.   When we return from our winter break, each child will be expected to write their own name on their papers.   Some of them may need help, but with practice at school and at home each child should be able to accomplish this on their own. 

I have sent home individual Skills Assessments for each child and I ask that you please sign and return your child’s assessment after you have reviewed it.   These will give you some insight into what we have been learning in school.  If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s assessment please feel free to contact me.  We will be having conferences in January and February as well. 

December is sure to be a busy month.  I would like to discuss various Holidays that are celebrated in December, so if your family has any special traditions that you would like  to share with the class please let me know.  We would love to have guest speakers come in and teach up about their special days.  Our last day of school before winter break will be the 17^th, and that will also be the date of our Holiday Party.  Santa will be visiting the children that day, so if your child is uncomfortable around Santa please let me know in advance.  We will be performing a little holiday skit, as well as some songs, so feel free to let your family members know about this event.   

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,

Nancy Rinehimer

Newsletter

October 29, 2009

Dear Parents,

What a wonderful October we had at the co-op!   We were very busy with our visit from the fire department, our first field trip, school pictures and our Halloween parade and party.   The children really seemed to enjoy all of the excitement each week brought.  I am amazed at how well they handled the additional activities.  Children often find changes to their routine to be stressful, but they all seemed to enjoy these events.

We will begin working more in learning centers.  This will allow me to work with smaller groups of students at a time, while their classmates are engaged in other activities.  One of the advantages of learning centers is that we will be able to spend time focusing on each individual student’s needs.   One of our learning centers will be dedicated to helping the students master writing their names.  Our pre-Kindergarten students are learning to write their first and last names “the Kindergarten way”.  Our pre-schoolers will practice their names using all capital letters.  Each student will be bringing home a name card for practice at home.  A dry-erase marker will be needed for home practice. 

Please remember to refer to our website for additional information.  Important dates to remember can be found on the website along with printable learning activities your child can do at home.   Please note that school will be closed on November 5^th for the teacher’s convention.  We have a half-day on November 25^th and will be closed on the 26^th for Thanksgiving. 

As we reach the end of the first “marking period”, I will be sending home progress updates for each child.  We will have conferences in January and February, but I would like to keep you informed on how your child is progressing in school.   As always, if you have any questions or concerns about how your child is doing, please feel free to ask.

Sincerely,

Nancy Rinehimer

Newsletter
September 7, 2009

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to school!  We are so excited to be back at the Co-op and are looking forward to spending time with your children.  Many of them (and you) are sure to be nervous, but we will do all that we can to ease their fears and help make their transition to pre-school as smooth and comfortable as possible. 

The first few weeks are always busy as everyone adjusts to a brand new routine.   I have attached our September Calendar.   Each month we will send home a calendar detailing some of the events going on at our school.  Wednesdays are our gym days.  Please send your child to school in sneakers and play clothes for gym.    Birthdays are typically celebrated on the last Thursday of the month.  If your child has a birthday that month they may bring in a treat to share with the class on our celebration day.  Each child with a birthday that month will be recognized.  Summer birthdays may be celebrated in September or in May, whichever you prefer.

We will do many art projects in our classrooms.  Please try to send your child to school in clothing that may get dirty.  For our “messier” projects we will wear art smocks, but as any parent knows even the simplest projects often result in BIG messes!  We also will play on our playground most days (weather permitting) so play clothes are always best. 

Thanks for allowing us the opportunity to help your child grow and learn.  If you have any questions or concerns that you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact myself, Miss Mary or Mr. Stu.  We are looking forward to another wonderful year with our Co-op Family!

Sincerely,

Nancy Rinehimer

Newsletter
August 7, 2009

Dear Parents,

Can you believe that it is almost time to send our children back to school?  We have been very busy at the Co-op getting everything ready for our first day and we are looking forward to welcoming all our students back to school.   

Please note that all paperwork must be completed for each student before he or she can begin our program (with the exception of the Universal Health Form for those students who have not yet had their yearly check-up).   It is of utmost importance that the fingerprinting documentation be turned in as soon as possible.  No parent will be allowed to work in the classrooms until this documentation is submitted.   Any paperwork, fingerprinting documentation for parent workers and your first tuition payment may be brought to the parent’s meeting and turned in then.   

Our mandatory Parent’s Meeting will be on August 18^th at 7:00 pm.  “Meet the Teachers Day” will be Wednesday, September 9^th from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm.   This is more of an “open house” where you and your child may come in, speak with us and explore the classrooms.  Our first day of school will be on Thursday, September 10^th and it is a shortened day.  The morning class will attend from 9:00 – 10:30 am and the afternoon class will attend from 12:30-2:00 pm. 

Please take a moment to check out or website at www.thefamilyco-op.com for information, coming events and other important news.  Universal Health Forms and Fingerprinting forms are available for download on our site.    You can also find some printable educational pages for your child to work on.  If you would like to contact myself, Miss Mary or Mr. Stu there are links on the website to our e-mail accounts.  

If you have any questions or concerns you would like to discuss with me before the parents’ meeting please feel free to contact me either by e-mail or phone (786-7798).    Our board Chairpersons are also available to answer and questions you may have as well (AM Chair Kacy R. and PM Chair Jill R.). Thank you for the opportunity to spend time with your children and I look forward to a wonderful year.

Sincerely,

Nancy Rinehimer