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Dear Parents, Although we were excited to start our new school year at ABC, we didn’t anticipate so much rainfall. You know you have a wonderful staff when the children can’t go outside for weeks at a time and still enjoy coming to school! We are embracing the beautiful, sunny weather now and making up for our lost time outside. Everyone is happy and appreciating our mild winter season so far. We are welcoming February, “the month of love,” with open arms. Friends and family are so important and sometimes during the constant hustle and bustle of everyday life, we forget to take the time to tell each other how much we love them. We would like to take a moment to thank you for being such wonderful parents. We all feel so fortunate to be able to spend our days with your lovely children. Last month the children learned about our solar system, Martin Luther King, Jr. and what a “new year” means. They did some amazing art projects with each one of the units, so please make sure to take the projects home at the end of the day.
Our February Units Are: February 1-4 Chinese New Year (Rabbit) February 7-11 Valentine’s Day February 14-18 Dental Health February 21-25 Presidents February 28-March 4 Nutrition
Important Dates to Remember: February 7-11 Bring in Valentine cards (at least 45) February 11 Book Orders Due February 14 & 15 Valentine’s Party February 21 and 22 ABC Closed for President’s Week Holidays February 16 Pre-K Conferences Begin with Rachel W. and Rachael E. May 18 and 19 Vision Screening (rescheduled)
Pre-K Conferences Parents of Pre-K children, please make sure you sign-up on the sign-up sheet above the cubbies for your Pre-K conference. This year since both of our Pre-K teachers are named Rachel, make sure you look for your child’s name when signing-up. The teachers and students have worked very hard on their conferences and look forward to sharing the information with you. Each parent conference takes between 20 and 30 minutes. During this meeting you will be informed about your child’s academic and social progress while at school. It is always an enjoyable experience so I hope that both parents are able to attend this conference meeting.
This year we will be celebrating Valentine’s Day on both Monday, February 14th and Tuesday, February 15th. This is such a fun holiday to participate in because the children get to have a Valentine Party, distribute their Valentines, and receive a special snack and a goody bag to bring home. Over the years we have perfected our Valentine’s system and have noticed that the day goes smoothly if we follow the following format: 1. Valentine’s may be homemade or purchased. If you have the time, it is fun to start now and create some Valentine’s with your children. 2. Please bring at least 45 Valentine’s to ABC during the week February 7th. 3. Please have your child write their name on the back of each Valentine. If they need help with this, you can write the name for them. 4. This part is very important---Please do not label or address the Valentine cards. 5. Please make sure that your child’s name is on the outside of the box or bag containing the Valentine’s. 6. There will be a special ABC Valentine Box in the front room by the cubbies. Please place your bag or box of Valentine’s into this box. Do not put your child’s Valentine’s into their cubby!! 7. Please feel free to bring special treats for the children, such as stickers, toys, candy etc. These treats will be placed into each child’s valentine bag. 8. During the Valentine Party day, your child will be able to place each one of their Valentine’s into the bag of each ABC student so that every child receives a Valentine. If your child comes on Monday and Tuesday, you can choose which day they will participate in the Valentine distribution. 9. All party bags are to go home at the end of the day. We will have the bags closed so that each child can open their bag in your presence.
Waiting List and Schedule Changes We have collected all of the schedule change forms and have started notifying all siblings that will be starting ABC this summer and fall. We are in the process of calling parents on our wait list to fill the remaining slots. We cannot guarantee every schedule that you requested, but we are doing our best to accommodate all of your wishes. As soon as we have notified families about schedules and enrollment, you will receive a confirmation of your desired schedules. This process does take time, so please be patient. We will begin February 1st and hopefully be finished by the end of this month.
Sadie’s mom We are very excited that Sadie’s mom (Carolyn), will be visiting the children and discussing our Chinese New Year’s Unit on Wednesday, February 2nd. It is always wonderful when parents participate in our program. The children love it and the staff enjoys learning new things about their unit from our parent base. Thank you Carolyn!!!
Absences at ABC There are many times when parents call ABC and ask for an overtime day. If you know that your child will not be attending school due to illness or vacation please call and inform the staff. This will create an opening for another child to attend ABC on an overtime basis. We only let children come to ABC on an overtime schedule if we have openings. Please call Rachel at 459-7611, or email the office at abcacademypreschool@yahoo.com. Thank you for your help with this matter.
Tuition Fees A few parents have approached us about our annual 5% tuition increase due this June. I know that any tuition increase is not desirable. This unsteady economy makes increased prices difficult for each and every one of us. Please know that we do not just randomly increase tuition. We pay for health benefits, provide paid holidays, vacation days and 40 hours of paid sick leave each year for our staff. Our medical insurance just went up 16%!! Our liability insurance increases annually and even though ABC has never had a Worker’s Comp claim in 30 years, this insurance is also very costly each month. We have a mortgage payment on the school, property taxes, and our budget is constantly taxed with repairs. With the ever changing price increases on items we buy weekly (food, cleaning supplies and art materials) we never have that “extra” fund waiting to be spent. ABC is like any other business and relies heavily on credit cards and lines of credit from our bank. We have such an incredible staff simply because we cherish them and honor their dedication and skills with good pay and benefits. So, in closing, I apologize for having to raise tuition rates 5% annually, but it is the only way to make ABC continue to thrive and be the wonderful school that your children so enjoy.
A big “Thank You” for the generous gifts & donations from: Nico - Big bag of cups Christopher - Books Aidan - Bagels and cream cheese and donuts…twice! Amaya - Binders and folders Hayden and Ethan - ABC Matts Miles and Sarah - Little Einstein rocket and accessories
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours
and may this month be filled with love. |
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