SAINT SEBASTIAN PRESCHOOL

2016 SUMMER INFORMATION PACKETS

Welcome Letter to Parents

Dear Preschool Families,

Welcome to summer school! We are ready and excited for our summer program! First of all, we would like to thank you for enrolling your child in Saint Sebastian Summer School. The school offers a solid foundation for Catholic learning and provides the attention your child needs.

A typical day in the classroom begins at 9:00a.m. However, you are more than welcome to arrive at school at 7:00a.m when Saint Sebastian School opens their doors. It is very important that your child be on time in order to participate in the morning activities. If you arrive late please enter quietly and have your child join in circle time. Please remember to sign in and out each day, it is state law. Always state the time you sign in or out.

M/TU/W/TH is Arts and Crafts Day! Children will explore a variety of art activities (i.e. painting, drawing, sculpture, weaving, collage, etc) and will be introduced to a variety of art materials (i.e. crayons, tempera paint, watercolor paint, colored pencils, markers, oil pastels, art chalk, clay).

Friendship Fruit Day (every Friday)Please have your child bring one fruit of his/her choice every Friday. Together with their teachers, children will cut and make smoothies. Please be aware that we may request parents to provide materials necessary for certain art projects or activities (e.g.. shoe box, container, etc.), and your cooperation and contribution will be greatly appreciated.

Also, Fridays will be our Game Day! On Game Day children will be introduced to various games such asbean bag toss, egg races, water balloon toss, parachute, etc.

What can my child bring to school? Each child has his or her own cubby. Please make sure to bring extra clothing including socks, underwear, shirts, pants, extra shoes, and a light jacket all in zip lock bags. Please remember to label all your child’s clothing items as well. Backpacks or large bags are not necessary. Keep in mind the cubby only has room for extra clothes.

Preschool is a place for play, learning and experimenting, and can get messy at times so please dress your child in comfortable play clothes. It is important for your child to wear CLOSED TOE SHOES in order for your child to run, climb and be active safely. Please do not bring any toys from home unless it is for Share Day. At school we have lots of fun and interesting materials for your child to work on.

When your child comes to school please remember to include healthy packed snacks and lunches with them. Please do not pack fast food, candy bars, or anything sweet in your child’s lunch box. We would really appreciate it! The food should be ready to eat (no microwaving) and should not contain any nuts, as some children are allergic.

This summer we are expecting lots of hot and sunny days with lots of outside play. If your child will need sunscreen applied or reapplied after a couple of hours, please fill out a medication form and give it to your teachers with the sunscreen.

Celebrating birthdays are encouraged! Your child’s birthday is a very special day! We ask parents to plan ahead with us.

When missing school, please let us know. If your family is going on vacation or out for a doctor’s appointment or you child is ill, please notify the school and teachers. Your child will be missed!

Volunteering parents and families are greatly appreciated and encouraged. Children love it when their parents and extended family come to help or even share time with us. Throughout the year, we have mystery readers, in which a parent or extended family comes in to read a book.

Parents’ and teachers’ communication is very important. The children will have a file in the parents’ folder at the entrance of the door. The children’s work and any parents’ communication will be placed in there as well.

If you have concerns, questions, or just want to know how your child is doing at school, please let us know and we will be more than happy to schedule an appointment to sit and answer all your questions.

We hope this information has been helpful to you. If you have any questions that we may not have covered please feel free to ask us. Thank you and we look forward to working with you and your children!

Sincerely,

YuliMihara, M.A.

Director of St. Sebastian Preschool

1430 Federal Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90025

(310) 473-3337

Summer DailySchedule

7:30-9:00Welcome children

Free play in the classroom

9:00-9:15 Circle time

Good morning song, calendar, etc.

***Transition to snack/restroom/wash hands***

9:15-9:30Snack

9:30-10:00Indoor Activities

Arts and crafts–M/TU/W/TH

Friday – Cooking (Friendship smoothie)

*Please bring one fruit of your choice

10:30-11:00Circle time

Flannel board story, music, yoga, etc.

11:00-11:50Outdoor Activities

***Transition to lunch/restroom/wash hands***

11:50- 12:30Lunch

12:30- 2:45Nap Time

***Transition to snack/restroom/wash hands***

2:45-3:30Snack

------3:30pm Pick up (No aftercare) ------

First Day Jitters

The first day of school can be an anxious time for children (and for moms and dads too!). Starting school is something that children have probably been thinking about. Now, they walk into a new room with all these new children, and new grownups, and new “environment” and maybe mom looks a little teary-eyed that her “baby” is growing up so fast... and it might make children suddenly cling to parents and cry! Here are a few tips for getting through those first few days.

• Try to act confident yourself (parents). If you seem anxious and unsure about leaving your child at school, children pick up on that and start wondering if there really is something to worry about!

• If possible, plan on staying for 5 to 10 minutes during the first day to help your child get settled. Staying longer or shorter than that may make separation harder.

• When you leave, please make sure you say goodbye. Trying to “sneak out” when the child is busy and not looking may make children panic a few minutes later, and may make separation even more difficult the next day.

• Separation problems sometimes show up on the second or third day, just when you think everything is in the clear! It is also common for children to have problems when there are major changes at home. Let us know if there is anything happening at your house that you think is important for us to know.

• Please remember that we really do understand how hard this can be. We know that you are entrusting us with your most precious gift, and we feel very honored that we will be your child’s first teacher.