OCTOBER 2026

Overall, September went very well. We have had some germs floating around, some tears, lots of laughs and even more fun. It was the usual September start to the year for us!

The toddler room renovation is well underway and moving along as quickly as possible. The toddlers have been wonderful at adapting to their now little space and have amazed us all by soundly sleeping through the daily noises of the kindergarten and preschool children (and even the accidental fire alarm going off)! We are hopeful to be able to be returning to the classroom by Thanksgiving if not sooner.

There are items to update you on:

The school is closed on Monday, October 12th for Thanksgiving.

We will be closed on Wednesday, November 11th, to observe Remembrance Day (for future reference). We are open all that week; however, most school districts are closed either 3 or 5 days that week.

Planning even further ahead for Christmas. The school will operate normal hours on Wednesday December 23rd,2026 then close for the holidays on December 24th, re-opening on Monday January 4th, 2027.

Please call or text if your child is sick so we can keep on top of illness. As a reminder, all children and staff need to stay out for a minimum of 48 hours once symptoms subside. If you are keeping 1 child home because they are ill, other siblings MUST stay at home too. This will help to reduce transmission and clear sickness up faster. We have done well in September and if we all work together, October will be even better!! It is imperative that the staff stay healthy because if we are in a position that too many staff are ill, we will be forced to close until we can meet staff/child ratios.

Speech professionals are beginning to come on a regular basis for the children on their caseload. We have speech on Tuesday (all day) and Thursday afternoons. Lindsay sees the children weekly and gets everyone seen while they are here, there is not a specific time on those days. If for some reason you are leaving early, please let a staff member know so your child will get seen prior to them leaving for the day.

SD#76 aide for 2026-2027 is Dixie Onheliger.

This is a hungry growing group of children. They are busy during the day both physically and mentally, so having a full, well-balanced lunch is key to a successful day. I will be posting lunch ideas shortly on Instagram.

Please keep the following in mind for lunches:

· Lunches are not refrigerated and need ice packs in them to keep food cold

· Everyone needs a zippered, labelled lunchbox. The Bento boxes do pop open from time to time, which means your child’s lunch is spilt onto the floor or table

· Label, label, label-water bottles, thermos, lunch kits etc. we can not return items or account for them if they are lost and unlabeled.

· No peanuts, cashews or pistachio products (may contain tree nuts are OK in granola bars, but no trail mixes with actual nuts)

· Cut up foods that are choking hazards: grapes, tomatoes, carrots, huge blueberries, hot dogs etc.

The kindergarten program is underway, and we have had a month to establish a routine and get accustomed to one another. We are starting to figure out a balance. This routine gets easier as the weather gets colder, and we are inside. We are moving along nicely!

Likewise, the toddlers are establishing a routine. Miss Zilkie and Miss Leith would like to encourage toddler drop-offs at the front door in October. One of them, or both (if necessary) will greet toddler parents at the front in the morning. They have observed that older siblings are having a more challenging time returning to their classrooms from ‘helping’ in the toddler room to settle siblings. At the end of the day, once we are inside more frequently, parents can come to the back to gather their children and talk to the teachers. This is something we did a few years ago and it started everyone’s day off on a successful note.

Our extra activities:

·      Tuesday-Social Thinkers (4–5-year-olds) 9:15-10:15am (2 groups)

·      Wednesday-Music for everyone 10:15am(2 groups)

·      Thursday - SACA Kickboxing 10:30am (Leave the school at 10:15am)

All children need ONLY 1 pair of inside shoes for the classroom. It is important to have footwear that fits and is appropriate for inside. We discourage flip-flops, big-headed slippers, or clunky/heeled shoes because the children trip, slip or step on other toes or fingers and hurt one another (by accident). Please label them for easy identification. Changing footwear in the morning is an easy transition to the day as well as an independent skill that all these children do during the day (even toddlers) so please support and encourage your child to change their footwear in the morning as well as taking off their coats and sweaters.

Make sure your child has appropriate outdoor wear for the coming months. We plan to be outside as long as we can, and they need proper coats, hats and mittens for walks or playing in the playground. It is best to keep a pair of little (thin) mittens and a toque at school for the cooler days. Please label items. The girls may want to keep a pair of leggings at school for cooler days if they are wearing a dress or skirt and everyone may want a hoodie or sweater for cooler mornings in the school.

We appreciate the little girls in their dresses, but they need shorts underneath whether they are wearing underwear or pull-ups. This is for privacy and sanitary reasons. We have not been letting the girls swing on the climber unless they have shorts underneath that their dress can be somewhat tucked into.

If you are going to be having someone else pick up your child, please let a staff member know prior to them arriving. This makes it easier when your child is being picked up. We like to get to know your extended family, so they feel welcome when they arrive.

We are working on a plan for Halloween at the end of the month. Tentatively, we will pumpkin carve on Friday October 30th, and the children can wear their costumes that day. The toddlers will do pumpkin painting that morning (please send clothes for them to paint in so their costume stays clean and paint free). We will have a parent sign-up form up shortly for carving volunteers.

We are also working on field trips. Once they are confirmed then formal permission slips will be required to be filled out. If any parents have ideas or careers that allow field trips or be brought into the preschool, please pass along the information to any of the staff.

The preschool children will be taking home a folder each Friday with their art collections in it. Please return the folder the following Monday to be refilled with their wonderful creations.

I am sure there will be other additions as the month progresses. Please check Instagram to keep up to date with us.