Dear Parents,

     Fall is upon us once again!  The leaves are all aflutter as they  dance in the air and drift down from the trees as we play on the playground each beautiful day.

     Over the past several weeks we have been busy exploring the expanding circles of relationships that enrich our lives. Self; family; friends; community and the larger world that holds us all. As we come to the place where we are ready to shift to a new focus, step inside and take a peek at our display on the wall. You will see elements of our individual and collective work in the images that have been gathered together to represent each child in our school community; photos of their families and friends (thank you for sending them our way!); the special places we go to in our community, and now,  people, places and creatures that share our planet with us. It is inspiring to watch the children spend time each day huddled together in discussion about all they see.

   Speaking of a shift in focus………….shoes are such a big part of our daily experience. Admiring new shoes (sparkles and “light ups” are always a hit), searching for a missing shoe, coordinating our movements while trying to get them on and off,  and clomping around in dress-up shoes. SO…….shoes are IT! We will be having lots of fun investigating the world of shoes. The delightful children’s book, SHOES by Elizabeth Winthrop, will be our beginning anchor as we take off on this journey. Many other support books and stories will join us along the way. Stay tuned to see what might evolve …… possibly a shoe store; “designer” shoe creations; shoes for different purposes; shoes from around the world…….?  Only time will tell!

       Studio Discovery Fridays Report: As you know, the first sense the children have been learning about is the sense of  Sight. They have been “dissecting” the eyeball – don’t worry, not the actual eyeball but how the eye works. Now that your eyes are wide open……..the children have been learning about the path by which light travels through the eye. Entering through the cornea ( protective layer) light passes through the pupil (which is a hole) then on through the lens (where the light gets focused). It continues on through the retina (where the picture is made). The picture is then sent through the optic nerve and into the magical, complicated, wonderful brain…… Voila! Sight! We will continue to explore more aspects of eyesight before surprising you with the next Sense to be studied!

HALLOWEEN:  We will celebrate Halloween on Wednesday October 30th and Thursday October 31st, Friends ‘n Fun style.  We want to celebrate one of the kids’ favorite holidays, and we do it in a way that everyone has fun and feels safe. Costumes can be scary and confusing to some children, so we ask that you keep your child’s costume at home and not bring them to school.  We will play games, read some Halloween stories, have a special snack and have our annual pumpkin rolling race!  If you would like to contribute to the festivities we will have a sign-up available at drop-off/pick-up for: snacks, halloween plates, cups or napkins,  and Halloween stickers. 

It would also be great if you could send a small pumpkin to school on our celebration day for the race. A pie pumpkin is the perfect size!

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES:  Thanks to everyone for making the time to meet with your child’s small group teacher.  We always enjoy this time to connect and chat about some of our favorite people – your children!!If at any time you would like to meet again, please let us know.  We are always happy to set up a time for that, in-person or via phone.

Parenting Discussion Night

Our meeting in September was wonderful and we are ready for the next one! We will be available for the next gathering at FnF on Wednesday evening November 6th from 6:30 to 7:30. We will continue these gatherings throughout the school year so drop in if and when you want.

   *Unfortunately our space is not big enough to accommodate a discussion group and child care.

Please watch Channel 9 News for notices of school closings or late 

opening times on days of extreme snow/ice.  If you can, check Channel 9

News online for the most current updates. 

Sometimes there is a timing delay when it gets added to their list of closures so 

we also post closures on the “Latest & Greatest” page on our website and our 

Facebook page: 

www.friendsnfunchildrenscenter.com

www.facebook.com/FriendsnFunChildrensCenterInc

Phone numbers – If something should come up during off school hours call Janet or Jane. Their numbers are on your class list.  

HAPPY FALL EVERYONE!!!!! 
           Janet, Jane, Katey and Kate
 

Dear Parents,

                                               Welcome to a new school year at Friends ‘n Fun! 

  Our mission is to provide your child with experiences that are filled with adventure, exploration and discovery.  We want to be in collaboration with you as we work together to support your child as he/she grows and develops during these exciting early years of childhood. This partnership is of great value to us and we encourage you to let us know of any concerns or questions that you may have throughout the school year. 

  Teachers at FnF realize that parents know their children better than anyone.  It is you who have seen them smile their first smile; it is you who celebrated their first words and first steps; it is you who have nursed them through illness and accidents; and it is you who continue to encourage, support, comfort and love them. Thank you for sharing your children with us and know that we take the trust you have extended us very seriously.

              We all look forward to an exciting year and to all of the journeys ahead of us!

Janet, Jane, Katey & Kate

This newsletter has a lot of information regarding upcoming events and getting started in our program.  PLEASE take time to read it and make notes on your own family’s calendar so that your family does not miss out on important dates, etc. 

September’s Journey –

The beginning of a new school year presents us with an opportunity to see ourselves not only as individuals but also as a part of something bigger: a family, a school, a community.  

“A child is born a first time, and then, through the long and difficult process of constructing his identity, it is as if he is born again. In this process, he gives himself a face, a body, gestures, movement, speech, thought, feelings, imagination, fantasy; in short, the awareness of being and the means of expressing his “me-ness” which is absolutely essential for becoming autonomous and distinguishing ourselves from other people and things – people and things we live and interact with and from which, little by little, we draw most of the raw material with which we create our own identity.  To recognize ourselves and to be recognized. But a child’s most sought-after goal is to recognize himself in others, and to find in others (objects and the natural world as well) parts of himself.” 

Loris Malaguzzi

  One of the facets of our daily schedule is the time of the day when we gather the children together in smaller pods to share ideas, activities and experiences as we explore a shared focus. On M/W and T/TH we do this in “Small Group.” The children come together with a teacher(s) who will remain their small group teacher for the year. It is a time when we put similarly aged children together. There are the 2 1/2 to 3 year olds; the pre-kindergarten aged children; and a crew who aren’t quite the youngest and not quite the oldest.  Small Group topics are selected in a variety of ways. Sometimes we use a rich and relevant children’s book as an anchor for exploration; sometimes teachers sense that a particular topic may be helpful in connecting the children to the school and each other; other times (and our favorite) is when we see patterns emerge in the children’s play that cross ages and gender and call for a more in depth investigation. 

Friday is the day we switch gears a bit and have what we call  “Studio Discovery.” Teachers set up a “surprise” for the children as they take turns messing about with materials and experiences that invite discovery. The teachers observe and learn about each child’s approach to what is set before them. Sometimes it is an individual experience that encourages creativity,  investigation or tactile experimentation, and sometimes they are asked to work together to generate ideas and solutions to specific problems.

Every August the teachers come together around a thought, idea or focus that anchors and guides the upcoming school year’s work. As always, we seek to create opportunities for problem solving, collaboration and creativity. We hope to do this in a manner that reflects compassion, kindness and caring for each other and our ideas. We hope to communicate with the children in a manner that supports deeper thinking, not right or wrong answers to closed questions.  We encourage you to share in this way of thinking.

 BEGINNINGS……….When thinking about a good way to start our small group experiences for this year teachers stumbled upon the book “The Circles All Around Us” written by Brad Montague. It is the story of a child who draws a circle around itself that is “A safe little place for just one person.” The story goes on to express how much love and care we can share with one another when the circle expands to include; family, friends, others in our community and then all of us who share this planet together.  We always like to kick things off with some idea that combines looking at each of us as individuals,  how we can come together as a group of children, as a school and as a community. 

This book certainly fits the bill! 

We look forward to the journeys start and will be excited to see how it grows and evolves.  Stay tuned………..!

      We are beginning our Studio Discovery Fridays with a deep dive into the five senses. We will be exploring each of the senses framed by the questions “How does it work?” and “How do we use it?” This Friday there will be an overview of the five senses with the children as they explore “Sense Stations.” Then the deeper investigation will begin with “looking” closely at the eye and brain and how they function together to allow us to have sight and vision.

We hope to uncover many discoveries on our Fridays throughout the year!

Drop off and Pick Up

With East Simpson Coffee Company, joining our neighborhood, parking and access to school can be a bit squishy at times. There is a public parking lot behind FnF on E. Geneseo & Public Road that you can use should you encounter a really busy time. If you park there you can walk between FnF and the office building next to us and come around to the front for drop off, or through the back gate off the alley and onto the playground for pick up.

If there is a day where you will be later than expected or your child will not be attending please give us a call at 303-666-5111 to let us know.

FALL CONFERENCES

We like to check in with you after your child has been attending FnF for a few weeks to hear more from you about your child and to answer any additional questions that may have come up . We will be scheduling conferences in October (dates are still to be determined).  The conferences usually take about  15 minutes and you are welcome to bring your child/children if you wish.  Your conferences will be scheduled with your child’s small group teacher and each of us will connect with you to arrange a time.

The scheduled Fall conference secures an opportunity to chat together but we want you all to feel free to talk with us whenever a question or thought comes up!

Health Precautions

We have been so very fortunate over the years to have successfully minimized major illnesses at school. That has been in large part due to the amazing efforts of all of our FnF families and their conscientious diligence in monitoring their family’s health so as to insure we are all as protected as possible. In an effort to continue to work together around health, we request all families do a symptom check before they leave home each morning. The Colorado Department of Public Health resource “How Sick is Too Sick” outlines the guidance we follow for all illness, including COVID. Please let Jane know if you need a copy emailed to you.

An additional way you can help us is to help your child(ren) practice the recommended hand washing protocol at home: wetting hands; applying soap; rubbing hands with soap for 20 seconds outside of the water stream (singing the ABC or Happy Birthday song two times, or counting to 20 slowly); rinsing the soap off and drying hands.

We can all help take care of each other within our Friends’n Fun Community and safe guard the health of ourselves and those in our lives outside of school!

We so appreciate everyone’s continued efforts and awareness!!!!!!

Parenting Discussion Night

Parenting is a tough job and finding ways to feel connected to others while navigating the ups and downs of this important work can help.

Several parents have requested an opportunity to get together with us to share parenting experiences and questions as we brainstorm strategies for working with our children. 

We will be available for our first gathering at FnF on Wednesday evening September 18th from 6:30 to 7:30. We can see how that kind of time frame works and reassess along the way.

     *Unfortunately our space is not big enough to accommodate a discussion group and child care.

BITS & PIECES
HEALTH FORMS– The State of Colorado requires us to have a recent physical for each child at FnF.  This physical must be updated annually.   Jane will let you know if you are missing any paperwork and when it needs to be updated.  

PERMISSION FORM– Licensing requires the permissions page of your child’s paperwork to be signed and dated annually.  Jane will catch you to have you sign/date the permission form for this year, even if you signed it earlier in 2024.  It is easier to have everyone on the same signing schedule!

INFORMATION CHANGES – Please let Jane know if there are any changes to your family’s: address, phone numbers, employment (and that contact information), emergency contact, physician, insurance.  If any of those things change during the year, please let us know so that we have current/correct information.

MEDICATIONS – A form MUST be completed by your doctor each time he/she prescribes ANY medications to be given to your child while in our care.  This includes prescriptions and over the counter meds.  Please ask Jane or Janet for the medications form and have your physician complete this form and return to school with the medication(s), as we will not be able to administer any medications without it.   Please note that we are not allowed to administer any homeopathic medications/remedies. THANKS!

WATER BOTTLES & BACKPACKS Our nurse consultant has recommended no water bottles at school, and space for backpacks is extremely limited – especially when winter gear starts sharing the hanging space.  Thanks for understanding.

E X T R E M E   W E A T H E R   C L O S U R E

In the event of extreme weather there are a couple of ways you canfind out if Friends ’n Fun will be closed.  If Boulder Valley School District cancels school, Friends ’n Fun will also be closed.  We will email you as soon aswe have that information and will post it on our Facebook page, too.  BVSDsometimes opts for a delayed start – we will not do a delayed start.  It is up to your family to decide if you will bring your child in a little later, or if you will choose tostay home.  Please let us know if you decide to keep your child home!In addition to sending an email and posting on our Facebook page, we also list ourclosing on Channel 9 News.  Their online closure listings are more quickly updatedthan the scroll on their TV channel.

 www.friendsnfunchildrenscenter.com

www.facebook.com/FriendsnFunChildrensCenterInc

Phone numbers – If something should come up outside of school hours, call Jane or Janet’s cell phones (numbers are on the class list).

We have a photographer in the house!!!
Our very own Kate Fisher!!

!!!!!BABYSITTERS!!!!!

This past summer we had the privilege of several of our alums volunteering with us.We can attest to their talents and they would like to offer babysitting services to families if needed. We have flyers with more info at school.

FRIENDS ‘N FUN IMPORTANT DATES FOR       2024-2025

August  26, 2024                                 Fall Session begins

September 2, 2024                                 Labor Day (closed)

November 28 – 29, 2023                          Thanksgiving (closed)

December 24 thru Jan. 1st                      Winter Break (closed) Reopen Thurs., Jan. 2nd

January 20, 2025                       Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (closed)

February 17, 2025                                   Presidents’ Day (closed)

March 26 – 27 – 28, 2025                         Spring Break (closed)

May 26, 2025                                           Memorial Day (closed)

May 30, 2025         Last Day of school year

Dear Parents,

    We have such a wonderful group of children this summer! A new mix of children always invigorates us with the possibilities of fresh interests, talents, and friendships. 

    We are excited as we plan for the upcoming summer months. Teachers enjoy the change in the curriculum format for the summer, as we move from Small Groups to Centers. This style makes it easier for children to come in and out of activities without feeling like they missed something when they are away for vacations.  Preparing activity centers for in-depth exploration based on common interests presents opportunities for new creative energy and limitless ideas. 

    If you have not heard yet, we have begun our summer as milliners preparing exquisite headwear. In other words we are making hats!! This hat making process is quite a feat! First the willing subject must sit still as three pieces of newspaper drape over their heads (and yes, they cannot see.) The papers are then held down and masking tape is wound around and around to secure the proper head size. Then -pop!- off comes the hat! The edges are curled up and secured; the hats are then painted an array of colors;  and final embellishments are added to express each wearers creativity and style.

    Yesterday and today the hats were modeled. They were admired by an audience who asked questions about the creative process, as the wearer walked the runway turning this way and that to display their hats. Of course the paparazzi were on site! Photos coming soon!

    That was STEP 1. Next is STEP 2. Beginning next week the children will start making musical instruments from recycled materials. If you haven’t heard about this part yet many children are already planning what they want to play! STEP 3. Combine the gorgeous hats with the melodious instruments and march around the neighborhood in a glorious Summer Parade! PHEW! The completion of this 3 step project will be a lot of rewarding work!

    Fridays will be “STUDIO Discovery Lite” as we enjoy various outdoor experiences. Last Friday we kicked things off with an obstacle course. It proved to be great fun for all! We will continue to put together a series of different types of obstacle courses for the next few Fridays.

It is always exciting to watch and see how doing one thing sparks an idea or suggestion for something else.  We will continue to watch and listen to see what other interests children are talking about during their play that might guide us on our adventures and explorations this summer.   

We hope to all share a wonderful Summer together!

~ Jane, Janet, Katey & Kate

Tornado Emergency Plans

We have used the monthly tornado siren test as a reminder about tornado safety.  Should there be a tornado warning, where we are asked to seek shelter, we will take the children downstairs to our cellar where we have blankets, flashlights, water and stuffed animals.  You might need to have our cell phone numbers in case of such an emergency. Please ask us if you don’t have them.

Vacation Schedules

If you haven’t already, please let us know your vacation schedules. This will help us let children know when their special friends will return to school!

_____________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT DATES


 Thursday, July 4th Closed for Holiday 

AUGUST 15/16            Last days of Summer Session 

AUGUST 19 - 23          Friends ‘n Fun closed for cleaning, sprucing, prep and  
                             planning for new school year.

AUGUST 26               Beginning of Fall Session
_______________________________________________________________________

Dear Families,
Spring is here! Spring is here! How wonderful it is to feel the cool morning air and watch color begin to appear in the world around us!
The children always look so big this time of year as their growth spurts become evident in their longer limbs, joyful energy and engaged minds – bursting with all they know and are curious about!
Oh what fun we had with our Pockety, Pockety, Pockets!
Jane’s M/W crew focused on “Mystery Pockets.” Each day the children’s pockets contained clues and objects that would aid in the daily mystery to be solved. There were missing puzzle pieces, dinosaurs to locate, objects to be found in their group room, and art materials to find and create a painting with.
T/Th kids made individual fabric pockets that were enhanced with watercolor paint. The pockets were then sewn onto an apron for each child. Once the aprons were created the pockets held a surprise collection of items that someone who wears an apron might use: kitchen tools for baking/cooking; artists tools for creating.

Katey’s M/W group measured the depths of different sized pockets with a ruler and recorded their “data” on a pocket chart. They also sewed pockets onto aprons and then filled their pockets up with the lovely things they found on a “nature walk.”
The T/Th group used their imaginations to create “a world inside of a pocket.” They each drew the characters of their Pocket World and wrote a story about life in the pocket. All was gathered together in a piece of fabric and tied up with a bow. The portable “Pocket World” bundle was placed in their pockets to be available for play whenever desired.

Kate and Janet’s M/W group tested out lots of different pockets as they stuffed them with objects to see what might fit. They discovered that some things fit nicely and other things, try as they might, were way too big! We messed around with transparent pockets as the children grouped objects that went together. Seashells and beach things; paintbrushes and arty things: pine cones and forest things. The teachers then made vests for each of the children to wear and each day a surprise would be in the pockets. Trolls to play with in a “Troll Village; tools for “cooking” to use with play dough, etc.
The T/Th kids dabbled with quantity of objects in a pocket. They counted how many things they could fit in a paper pocket; they took on a challenge to find and put a certain number of items in their pockets – 1 robot, 2 toy people, 3 dinos …………all the way up to 6 square magna tile pieces. Then pockets were filled with items to match up to I Spy pictures. Next up was a Mystery Hunt! Pockets held clues as the children followed a map through an obstacle course to discover gummy worms in a “nest.”

Well… pockets can be considered to be “containers” for things. And “containers” can hold so many different things. It’s almost as if a “container” could be a “house” or “home” for the things that they hold. This kind of thinking led to the book A House is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman.

The book depicts different kinds of things that could be houses for people (tents, igloos, teepees, etc.) interspersed with all kinds of things that could be “houses” for other things: teapots/houses for tea; hangars/houses for airplanes; pea pods/ houses for peas; shoes/ houses for feet; on and on and on until it concludes that the earth is a house for us/it All!
We were ready to take a turn along the road to our next Journey!

Jane’s M/W group looked at trees and what they could be homes for. They started with dirt and roots, and moved up to trunks, branches and leaves. Each child decided on what creature would live in their individual tree.
This included a bumblebee, barn owl, hummingbird, tree snake and a blue parrot. They sketched their creatures and then used 3-dimensional objects to create them. Her T/Th kids talked about ponds and what might live there – turtles, a snake, a duck, a frog and a bird. They created pond landscapes using paint, yarn, paper, dirt and sand. Each child added things to the habitat specific to their chosen creature – nest, tree, lily pad, cattails and a bridge. Both groups of children played together with all they had created before taking it home to share with their families!

Katey’s M/W crew filled a wall with a “Home Connection Board.” The diagram showed the connection between things that could be houses and the things they housed. That was a lot of work! So next they built a “tree house” and then a “beach house” to play in. Her T/Th kids worked for weeks on an incredibly detailed diorama that included a city scape, a forest, and an ocean. They created homes and habitats for animals that could live in those different environments.

Kate and Janet’s M/W group became curious about animals that lived underground in burrows. They experimented with sand and clay and then worked together to build a six foot long mini-world that represented underground burrows (carved out of clay) and the above ground elements (trees, bushes, stones, vegetation, pine cones) that could be homes for other animals. The T/Th group enjoyed the idea of “a book is a house for a story.” That resulted in a story they co-wrote – MOO COWS. They illustrated the different parts of the story and finally the book was “published!” It is a compelling tale of cows that turn into mermaids to celebrate a birthday by eating cake in the sea!

Our final journey of this school year is a focus on the magical and fascinating interplay of light and shadow. On this past Monday and Tuesday we darkened all of the windows and immersed the children in a visit to The Land of Light and Shadow. An overhead projector provided the stage for body shadows and projected images from the screen that filled the wall. There were flashlights and tap lights everywhere. There were light tables and shadow screens and dark tents made with black sheets. The children joyfully investigated one opportunity after another.

We will dance down this path with curiosity and discovery as we explore all that we can!!!

STUDIO DISCOVERY

Continuing on with our exploration of Simple Machines, we found that wedges split things apart. We hammered wedges into clay and used chisels to separate bark from tree trunks. We are currently studying screws and learning how they attach things together. Last Friday we sketched the parts of the screw; thread, post, tip and pitch. We then used an electric drill to make holes to prepare for an art project. This week we will use screws, yarn and oil pastels to complete our art project. Still to come is “How many machines can you spot in this complex machine?” and “Rube Goldberg Creations Using Simple Machines.”

Spring Conferences

We will be holding Spring Conferences to celebrate your children’s growth and accomplishments on Wednesday May 15th and Thursday May 16th. We will have sign-up sheets with time slots for you to sign up with your child’s group teacher(s). These sheets will be available beginning next week. As always your children are welcome to come.

DATES!!!!!!!
We will be closed Monday May 27th for Memorial Day.
The last day of this school session is Friday May 31st.
Summer session will start Monday June 3rd and run through August 16th.
We will be closed to children the week of August 19th to prepare for the next school year.
Fall session will begin Monday August 26th.

THANKS and Happy Spring!!!
Jane, Janet, Katey and Kate

Dear Parents,

                                               Welcome to a new school year at Friends ‘n Fun! 

  Our mission is to provide your child with experiences that are filled with adventure, exploration and discovery.  We want to be in collaboration with you as we work together to support your child as he/she grows and develops during these exciting early years of childhood. This partnership is of great value to us and we encourage you to let us know of any concerns or questions that you may have throughout the school year. 

  Teachers at FnF realize that parents know their children better than anyone.  It is you who have seen them smile their first smile; it is you who celebrated their first words and first steps; it is you who have nursed them through illness and accidents; and it is you who continue to encourage, support, comfort and love them. Thank you for sharing your children with us and know that we take the trust you have extended us very seriously.

              We all look forward to an exciting year and to all of the journeys ahead of us!

Janet, Jane, Katey & Kate

This newsletter has a lot of information regarding upcoming events and getting started in our program.  PLEASE take time to read it and make notes on your own family’s calendar so that your family does not miss out on important dates, etc. 

September’s Journey –

The beginning of a new school year presents us with an opportunity to see ourselves not only as individuals but also as a part of something bigger: a family, a school, a community.  

“A child is born a first time, and then, through the long and difficult process of constructing his identity, it is as if he is born again. In this process, he gives himself a face, a body, gestures, movement, speech, thought, feelings, imagination, fantasy; in short, the awareness of being and the means of expressing his “me-ness” which is absolutely essential for becoming autonomous and distinguishing ourselves from other people and things – people and things we live and interact with and from which, little by little, we draw most of the raw material with which we create our own identity.  To recognize ourselves and to be recognized. But a child’s most sought-after goal is to recognize himself in others, and to find in others (objects and the natural world as well) parts of himself.” 

Loris Malaguzzi

  One of the facets of our daily schedule is the time of the day when we gather the children together in smaller pods to share ideas, activities and experiences as we explore a shared focus. On M/W and T/TH we do this in “Small Group.” The children come together with a teacher who will remain their small group teacher for the year. It is a time when we put similarly aged children together. There are the 2 1/2 to 3 year olds; the pre-kindergarten aged children; and a crew who aren’t quite the youngest and not quite the oldest.  Small Group topics are selected in a variety of ways. Sometimes we use a rich and relevant children’s book as an anchor for exploration; sometimes teachers sense that a particular topic may be helpful in connecting the children to the school and each other; other times (and our favorite) is when we see patterns emerge in the children’s play that cross ages and gender and call for a more in depth investigation. 

Friday is the day we switch gears a bit and have what we call  “Studio Discovery.” Teachers set up a “surprise” for the children as they take turns messing about with materials and experiences that invite discovery. The teachers observe and learn about each child’s approach to what is set before them. Sometimes it is an individual experience that encourages creativity,  investigation or tactile experimentation, and sometimes they are asked to work together to generate ideas and solutions to specific problems.

Every August the teachers come together around a thought, idea or focus that anchors and guides the upcoming school year’s work. As always, we seek to create opportunities for problem solving, collaboration and creativity. We hope to do this in a manner that reflects compassion, kindness and caring for each other and our ideas. We hope to communicate with the children in a manner that supports deeper thinking, not right or wrong answers to closed questions.  We encourage you to share in this way of thinking.

We are beginning our small group explorations anchored by the children’s book, HELLO, MY NAME IS RUBY,  by Philip C. Stead.  Ruby bravely goes out into the world to introduce herself to others.  As she wanders along she also sees some of the different ways the other creatures experience the world.  We look forward to the journeys start and will be excited to see how it grows and evolves.  Stay tuned………..!

Studio Discovery Friday is all about Wheels! We thought of all the different things that have wheels— cars, bikes, scooters, skateboards, helicopters, airplanes, trains, trucks and wagons. We rolled all different kinds of shapes down ramps to find out that wheels need to be circles in order to roll. After looking closely at a bicycle, tricycle and scooter, we found out wheels need axles to roll. “Wheels and axles work together”.  Next up, we are going to delve into how we can make the wheels go fast or slow. Our wheel investigation has just begun so there’s a lot more to find out.

We hope to uncover many surprises on our Fridays throughout the year!

Drop off and Pick Up

With East Simpson Coffee Company, joining our neighborhood, parking and access to school can be a bit squishy at times. There is a public parking lot behind FnF on E. Geneseo & Public Road that you can use should you encounter a really busy time. If you park there you can walk between FnF and the office building next to us and come around to the front for drop off, or through the back gate off the alley and onto the playground for pick up.

If there is a day where you will be later than expected or your child will not be attending please give us a call at 303-666-5111 to let us know.

FALL CONFERENCES

We like to check in with you after your child has been attending FnF for a few weeks to hear more from you about your child and to answer any additional questions that may have come up . We will be scheduling conferences in October (dates are still to be determined).  The conferences usually take about  15 minutes and you are welcome to bring your child/children if you wish.  Your The conferences will be scheduled with your child’s small group teacher and each of us will connect with you to arrange a time.

The scheduled Fall conference secures an opportunity to chat together but we want you all to feel free to talk with us whenever a question or thought comes up!

HEALTH PRECAUTIONS

We have been so very fortunate over the past three years to have successfully managed the pandemic and remain open without times of quarantine. That has been in large part due to the amazing efforts of all of our FnF families and their conscientious diligence in monitoring their family’s health so as to insure we are all as protected as possible. In an effort to continue to work together around health, we request all families do a symptom check before they leave home each morning. The Colorado Department of Public Health resource “How Sick is Too Sick” outlines the guidance we follow for all illness, including COVID.

An additional way you can help us is to help your child(ren) practice the recommended hand washing protocol at home: wetting hands; applying soap; rubbing hands with soap for 20 seconds outside of the water stream (singing the ABC or Happy Birthday song two times, or counting to 20 slowly); rinsing the soap off and drying hands.

We can all help take care of each other within our Friends’n Fun Community and safe guard the health of ourselves and those in our lives outside of school!

     We  so appreciate everyone’s continued efforts and awareness!!!!!!

BITS & PIECES

HEALTH FORMS– The State of Colorado requires us to have a recent physical for each child at FnF.  This physical must be updated annually.   Jane will let you know if you are missing any paperwork and when it needs to be updated.  

PERMISSION FORM– Licensing requires the permissions page of your child’s paperwork to be signed and dated annually.  Jane will catch you to have you sign/date the permission form for this year, even if you signed it earlier in 2023.  It is easier to have everyone on the same signing schedule!

INFORMATION CHANGES – Please let Jane know if there are any changes to your family’s: address, phone numbers, employment (and that contact information), emergency contact, physician, insurance.  If any of those things change during the year, please let us know so that we have current/correct information.

MEDICATIONS – A form MUST be completed by your doctor each time he/she prescribes ANY medications to be given to your child while in our care.  This includes prescriptions and over the counter meds.  Please ask Jane or Janet for the medications form and have your physician complete this form and return to school with the medication(s), as we will not be able to administer any medications without it.   Please note that we are not allowed to administer any homeopathic medications/remedies. THANKS!

WATER BOTTLES & BACKPACKS

Our nurse consultant has recommended no water bottles at school, and space for backpacks is extremely limited – especially when winter gear starts sharing the hanging space.  Thanks for understanding.

BEST WAY TO CONTACT YOU DURING YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL DAY – 

We are now required by state licensing to have this specific information on your child’s enrollment paperwork.  Jane will be sending an email out very soon to request this information.  Please respond as soon as possible so that we are in compliance.

E X T R E M E   W E A T H E R   C L O S U R E

In the event of extreme weather there are a couple of ways you can

find out if Friends ’n Fun will be closed.  If Boulder Valley School District 

cancels school, Friends ’n Fun will also be closed.  We will email you as soon as

we have that information and will post it on our Facebook page, too.  BVSD

sometimes opts for a delayed start – we will not do a delayed start.  It is up to your 

family to decide if you will bring your child in a little later, or if you will choose to

stay home.  Please let us know if you decide to keep your child home!

In addition to sending an email and posting on our Facebook page, we also list our

closing on Channel 9 News.  Their online closure listings are more quickly updated

than the scroll on their TV channel. 

www.friendsnfunchildrenscenter.com

www.facebook.com/FriendsnFunChildrensCenterInc

FRIENDS ‘N FUN IMPORTANT DATES FOR       2023-2024

August  28, 2023                                 Fall Session begins

September 4, 2023                                 Labor Day (closed)

November 23 – 24, 2023                          Thanksgiving (closed)

December 25 thru Jan. 1st                      Winter Break (closed) Reopen Tues., Jan. 2nd

January 15, 2024                       Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (closed)

February 19, 2024                                     Presidents’ Day (closed)

March 27 – 28 – 29, 2024                         Spring Break (closed)

May 27, 2024                                           Memorial Day (closed)

May 31, 2024                     Last Day of school year

“THE HUNDRED LANGUAGES OF CHILDREN”

Friends ‘n Fun has pursued the study of the internationally renowned philosophy of early childhood education that has been cultivated over the past 50 years in the Reggio Emilia community in northern Italy.  We continually integrate this philosophy with our own- weaving them together to beautifully and holistically address the needs of our own unique community.  There is so much to learn.  

Following is a poem from the book – THE HUNDRED LANGUAGES OF CHILDREN, pg. 293.

If I can

ask my own questions,

try out my ideas,

experience what’s around me,

share what I find;

If I have

plenty of time for

my special pace,

a nourishing space,

things to transform;

If you’ll be

my patient friend,

trusted guide,

fellow investigator,

partner in learning;

Then I will

explore the world,

discover my voice,

and tell you what I know

in a hundred languages.

Dear Families,

    Spring is here! Spring is here! How wonderful it is to feel the cool warmth in the morning air and watch color begin to appear in the world around us!

  The children always look so big this time of year as their growth spurts become evident in their longer limbs, joyful energy and engaged minds – bursting with all they know and are curious about! 

    For a minute there we thought we were on BROADWAY under the bright lights as each of the small groups took turns performing their theatrical productions! Each of the small groups worked together to create costumes, sets, scenery and props as they prepared their plays.

   Jane’s M/W crew performed an adaptation of Bears and a Birthday by Shirley Parenteau. They made bear ears and party hats for costumes, built an oven to bake the birthday cake in and awaited Big Bear’s entry as they surprised him with a party. 

   Her T/Th group performed an adaptation of Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Ratham. Adorable headpieces were created along with zoo cages for each of the animals to live in. The Zoo Keeper wished each of the animals a “good night” as the sneaky Gorilla followed behind unlocking the cages. Then they all followed the unaware Zoo Keeper home to join him in his cozy bed!

   Katey’s groups both fell in love with bear books by Shirley Parenteau! Her M/W group sewed comfy pillows, created cardboard headboards and topped it all off with bear ears as they prepared for their performance of Bears in Bed. The blowing of window curtains worried the bears and they all ended up in bed with Big Bear!

    Her T/Th guys performed Bears and Blossoms. Several beautiful pink blossomed trees were created as the children collaborated to design a park. In addition to bear ears, they made kites to fly during their excursion to the park. Once there they flew the kites and enjoyed a picnic of honey and bread.

  Janet’s M/W players were not content with existing stories so they wrote their own play – Searching for Princes. Elaborate crowns were created for all of the royalty – the Queen, two Princesses and two Princes. An epic journey was had as the Queen and her royal daughters traveled through the forest ( by the recommendation of a dragon with an astonishing headpiece, living in a nearby cave) to search for Princes. Upon meeting, the couples agreed to marriage (the classical ending) as they journeyed back to the castle overcoming obstacles – a rock field, slimy mud, and Rainbow Mountain – along the way.

    Following a thorough search of available material her T/Th kids decided to perform Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard. The full animal costumes they made were amazing. The animals awaited in a forest, designed by the group, to cheer up their friend – Bird – who had woken up in a grumpy mood. By the end all were laughing as they joined her in her nest to snack on worms! Gummy worms were shared with all.

 The theatrical extravaganza finale was the all school production of SEALS on the BUS by Lenny Hort.

What fun we had riding in the giant cardboard bus (built by Katey’s crews) as each of the animals in the story awaited at bus stops all around the town (made by Janet’s crews) to reach their final destination of a big party ( created by Jane’s crews.) The weary actors are now taking a break as the repertory season has ended!

  Next stop  on our school journey was assorted “trap” making.We will now be wrapping things up with a study of kites!! What a journey it has been!

STUDIO DISCOVERY FRIDAY

Following a series of science experiments we are now having a wonderful time exploring clay. Quinly’s Dad, Chad, is a potter and he will be joining us to help make pinch pots which he will also fire for us! And….our down the road Simpson St. neighbors, Mudslingers, are happy to welcome us on a field trip to learn about their pottery studio.

DATES!!!!!!!

We will be closed Monday May 29th for Memorial Day. The last day of this school session is Wednesday May 31st. 

Summer session will start Thursday June 1st, and run through August 19th. We will be closed to children the week of August 21st to prepare for the next school year.

Fall session will begin Monday August 28th.

SPRING CONFERENCES

We will be holding Spring Conferences to celebrate the children’s growth and accomplishments the week of May 22nd. We will let you know the exact times and days once we have it sorted out.

 THANKS!!!     

             Jane, Katey and Janet 

Dear Parents,

We are still busy WONDERING ABOUT NATURE in all sorts of ways in small group!  We have been wondering and finding out more about: the story of Roxaboxen – using stones and wood to create an imaginary landscape; gems and how they are formed; bees and wasps – where they live and how they make their homes; dinosaur bones and the human skeleton; big cats; leaves; spider webs; and ocean fish – where they hide and why.  Our wonderings will continue for a bit … there are still curiosities to be explored!

In this newsletter we have some things happening that we want to let you know about, as well as reminders of when school will be closed in the upcoming months.

PLEASE be sure to read the newsletter carefully and mark your calendar for important dates.

SNOW DAYS

It’s that time of year again.  Our general rule of thumb is that if BVSD closes for weather, we will as well.  We rarely have Late Start due to weather.  We communicate closure and the rare late start, via blast email, Facebook, FnF website on the Latest & Greatest page, and on 9News.  Check these when in doubt: 

www.friendsnfunchildrenscenter.com – FnF Website on “Latest & Greatest” page

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsnFunChildrensCenterInc/  – Facebook

http://www.9news.com  – Channel 9 News (closings/late starts are listed on   

                                           website more quickly than TV streaming list)

We will make the decision to close based on the safety of all – children, parents and community.  If you have questions on snow days please call Janet or Jane.  We’ll do our best to keep you informed.  Thank you.

CELEBRATING HANUKKAH

For more than 25 years, our friend Bruce Kirschner, has been helping us celebrate Hanukkah.  He started when his boys attended FnF and reaches out each year to schedule a date to come celebrate with all of us here.  Bruce will be joining us on Friday, December 16th.  He will teach the kids how to play dreidel, talk about the menorah and light the candles, and read us one or two of our favorite children’s Hanukkah stories.  We will get to eat latkes for our snack!  We are looking forward to the rousing good time that we always have when Bruce comes to celebrate with us.

Share-a-Gift

We are proud to be participating in Share-a-Gift again this year. Share-a-Gift is an annual, all-volunteer, non-profit toy collection and distribution holiday project encompassing the Boulder Valley school area.  Last year over 700 households (representing over 1800 children, ages birth to 14 in our community) received these donations. To be successful, Share-a-Gift needs thousands of high quality, new or gently used, toys, games, books, and puzzles. School collections are the biggest source of toys for Share-a-Gift. Toys may be dropped off in the Share-a-Gift box on our front porch beginning  Monday, November 28th through Wednesday, December 14th.   Friends ‘n Fun families have been one of their biggest donors in the past.  Let’s see what we can do to continue this tradition of giving!  P. S.  This is a great opportunity to clean out toys that are still in good condition and pass them along.

FAMILY TRADITIONS

The holiday season is upon us.  It all begins with Halloween (from the children’s perspective) and rolls into Diwali, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Las Posadas, Christmas, multiple New Years’, and many other wonderful celebrations that honor special cultural and religious traditions.  We join together with family and friends to enjoy this season.

We treasure all of the unique and distinctive differences and unifying similarities that make up our school community.  This holiday season we would like to recognize all of our families.

We would like to invite your family to decorate a tree branch (provided by us!) with photographs and small objects that represent special things about your family.  We will provide an assortment of yarns, beads, buttons, jewels, etc., for each family.  You can attach photographs, small objects, anything that represents what is important/traditional to your family.  The things you use to embellish the branch should represent your family’s interests (biking, pets, skiing, baking, music, etc.), as well as special celebrations. 

Branches and decorative goodies will be sent home the week of December 5th. Please return your branch when it is ready.  They will hang in school for quite awhile, and we do not want to add “one more thing” to your To Do list.

Branches will be hung inside to be enjoyed and will be sent home in late January/early February.  

IMPORTANT DATES !!!!!!!!!!!

Week of Dec 5 – Tradition Branches sent home.  Return to us anytime.

Dec 24, 2022 – Jan 1, 2023           – FnF CLOSED.  We will be closed from Saturday, Dec. 24th

through Sunday, January 1st. We will reopen on Monday, January

2, 2023.

January 16            – FnF CLOSED in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day 

February 20           – President’s Day CLOSED

March 22-24          – Spring Break CLOSED

**Wishing you all a happy holiday season!   Jane, Janet & Katey **

During our staff development days in August our focus was on WONDER.

Janet found some amazing articles that inspired us and made us think differently about wonder and our engagement with children.

The articles were so inspiring, we knew we wanted to be able to share them with others. We hope you will take some time to read them and be as inspired as we are.

“Magic And Wonder: Creating A World Where Children Lead” ::

https://blog.teaching.com.au/magic-and-wonder-creating-a-world-where-children-lead

“The Role of Wonder in Early Childhood: Finding Children’s Natural Desires for Learning” ::

https://www.amisa.us/post/the-role-of-wonder-in-early-childhood-finding-children-s-natural-desires-for-learning

“Why good teachers allow a child’s mind to wander and wonder” ::

https://psyche.co/ideas/why-good-teachers-allow-a-childs-mind-to-wander-and-wonder

Dear Parents,

                                               Welcome to a new school year at Friends ‘n Fun! 

  Our mission is to provide your child with experiences that are filled with adventure, exploration and discovery.  We want to be in collaboration with you as we work together to support your child as he/she grows and develops during these exciting early years of childhood. This partnership is of great value to us and we encourage you to let us know of any concerns or questions that you may have throughout the school year. 

  Teachers at FnF realize that parents know their children better than anyone.  It is you who have seen them smile their first smile; it is you who celebrated their first words and first steps; it is you who have nursed them through illness and accidents; and it is you who continue to encourage, support, comfort and love them. Thank you for sharing your children with us and know that we take the trust you have extended us very seriously.

              We all look forward to an exciting year and to all of the journeys ahead of us!

Janet, Jane & Katey

This newsletter has a lot of information regarding upcoming events and getting started in our program.  PLEASE take time to read it and make notes on your own family’s calendar so that your family does not miss out on important dates, etc. 

September’s Journey –

The beginning of a new school year presents us with an opportunity to see ourselves not only as individuals but also as a part of something bigger: a family, a school setting, a community.  

“A child is born a first time, and then, through the long and difficult process of constructing his identity, it is as if he is born again. In this process, he gives himself a face, a body, gestures, movement, speech, thought, feelings, imagination, fantasy; in short, the awareness of being and the means of expressing his “me-ness” which is absolutely essential for becoming autonomous and distinguishing ourselves from other people and things – people and things we live and interact with and from which, little by little, we draw most of the raw material with which we create our own identity.  To recognize ourselves and to be recognized. But a child’s most sought-after goal is to recognize himself in others, and to find in others (objects and the natural world as well) parts of himself.” 

Loris Malaguzzi

  One of the facets of our daily schedule is the time of the day when we gather the children together in smaller pods to share ideas, activities and experiences as we explore a shared focus. On M/W and T/TH we do this in “Small Group.” The children come together with a teacher who will remain their small group teacher for the year. It is a time when we put similarly aged children together. There are the 2 1/2 to 3 year olds; the pre-kindergarten aged children; and a crew who aren’t quite the youngest and not quite the oldest.  Small Group topics are selected in a variety of ways. Sometimes we use a rich and relevant children’s book as an anchor for exploration; sometimes teachers sense that a particular topic may be helpful in connecting the children to the school and each other; other times (and our favorite) is when we see patterns emerge in the children’s play that cross ages and gender and call for a more in depth investigation. 

Friday is the day we switch gears a bit and have what we call  “Studio Discovery.” Teachers set up a “surprise” for the children as they take turns messing about with materials and experiences that invite discovery. The teachers observe and learn about each child’s approach to what is set before them. Sometimes it is an individual experience that encourages creativity,  investigation or tactile experimentation, and sometimes they are asked to work together to generate ideas and solutions to specific problems.

Every August the teachers come together around a thought, idea, or focus that anchors and guides the upcoming school year’s work. This past August we were inspired by the natural sense of wonder that children generate as they explore and make sense of the world around them. We talked about how to honor that sense of wonder and how to purposefully connect with it as we plan for the experiences we present to the children. As always, we seek to create opportunities for problem solving, collaboration, and creativity. We hope to do this in a manner that reflects compassion, kindness and caring for each other and our ideas. We hope to communicate with the children in a manner that supports deeper thinking not right or wrong answers to closed questions. We reflected on this way of thinking as we discussed a few articles that focused on the power of  WONDER.  We encourage you to share in this way of thinking, and if you wish, to check out the articles we discussed. Magic And Wonder: Creating A World Where Children Lead by Neville Dwyer; The Role of Wonder in Early Childhood: Finding Children’s Natural Desires for Learning by Muriel Vermelho; and Why Good Teachers Allow a Child’s Mind to Wander and Wonder by Anders Schinkel. 

A caution suggested by the authors is to be aware that the window to wonder is wide open for a brief period of time – the time for our children is now!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We began our new school year by observing our own and each others “Faces” as a way to get familiar with and learn more about each other and those in our small group crew. We are now jumping into an exploration that is steeped in the riches of Wonder – Nature! The children’s interests and input will help the teachers shape and guide the path we traverse. We do not know what directions and twists and turns we will embark on throughout this journey,  but we are excited by all of the possibilities!

Studio Discovery Friday is kicking off with messing around with objects and reflection. We surprised the children with tables filled with mirrors, dominos and jeweled stones. As the children created things with these objects they became more conscious of what was happening in the mirrors. This Friday we will focus more specifically on observing reflections and the language around our observations. We hope to uncover many surprises on our Fridays throughout the year!

Drop off and Pick Up

We are so grateful to have our neighbor, East Simpson Coffee Company, join us on our end of Simpson Street. 

With an additional business occupying our neighborhood, parking and access to school can be a bit squishy at times. There is a public parking lot right behind FnF that you can use should you encounter a really busy time. If you park there you can walk between FnF and the office building next to us and come around to the front for drop off, or onto the playground for pick up.

If there is a day where you will be later than expected or your child will not be attending please give us a call or email to let us know!

FALL CONFERENCES

We like to check in with you after your child has been attending FnF for a few weeks to hear more from you about your child and to answer any additional questions that may have come up . We will be scheduling conferences in September on Wednesday the 28th and Thursday the 29th. The conferences usually take about  15 minutes and you are welcome to bring your child/children if you wish. The conferences are scheduled with your child’s small group teacher and each of us will connect with you to arrange a time.

The scheduled Fall conference secures an opportunity to chat together but we want you all to feel free to talk with us whenever a question or thought comes up!

Covid Precautions

We have been so very fortunate over the past two years to have successfully managed the pandemic and remain open without times of quarantine. That has been in large part due to the amazing efforts of all of our FnF families and their conscientious diligence in monitoring their family’s health and virus exposure so as to insure we are all as protected as possible.  In an effort to continue to work together around health, we request all families do a symptom check before they leave home each morning. The Colorado Department of Public Health resource  “How Sick is Too Sick” outlines  the guidance we follow for all illness, including  COVID.

An additional way you can help us is to practice the recommended hand washing protocol at home: wetting hands; applying soap; rubbing hands with soap for 20 seconds outside of the water stream (singing the ABC song, happy birthday two times, or counting to 20 slowly); rinsing the soap off and drying hands. 

We can all help take care of each other within our Friends’n Fun Community and safe guard the health of ourselves and those in our lives outside of school!  

         We  so appreciate everyone’s continued efforts and awareness!!!!!!

BITS & PIECES

HEALTH FORMS– The State of Colorado requires us to have a recent physical for each child at FnF.  This physical must be updated annually.   Jane will let you know if you are missing any paperwork and when it needs to be updated.  

PERMISSION FORM– Licensing requires the permissions page of your child’s paperwork to be initialed and dated annually.  Jane will catch you to have you sign/date the permission form for this year.

INFORMATION CHANGES – Jane will be asking returning families to review their child’s enrollment forms and update any changes to: address, phone numbers, employment (and that contact information), emergency contact, physician, insurance.  If any of those things change during the year, please let us know so that we have current/correct information.

MEDICATIONS – A form MUST be completed by your doctor each time he/she prescribes ANY medications to be given to your child while in our care.  This includes prescriptions and over the counter meds.  Please ask Jane or Janet for the medications form and have your physician complete this form and return to school with the medication(s), as we will not be able to administer any medications without it.   Please note that we are not allowed to administer any homeopathic medications/remedies. THANKS!

WATER BOTTLES & BACKPACKS

Our nurse consultant has recommended no water bottles at school, and space for backpacks is extremely limited – especially when winter gear starts sharing the hanging space.  SORRY!

CLASS LIST WITH CONTACT INFORMATION – we are working on this and will make sure everyone has a copy once it’s ready!

WEATHER

Please watch Channel 9 News for notices of school closings or late 

opening times on days of extreme snow.  If you can, check Channel 9

News online for the most current updates, as the television has a 

delay time from when we called.  We will also post closures on the 

“Latest & Greatest” page on our website and our Facebook page: 

www.friendsnfunchildrenscenter.com

www.facebook.com/FriendsnFunChildrensCenterInc

Phone numbers – If something should come up during off school hours call Janet or Jane (phone numbers will be on the class list.     

FRIENDS ‘N FUN SCHOOL CLOSINGS FOR       2022-2023

August  29, 2022                                 Fall Session begins

September 5, 2022                                   Labor Day

November 24 – 25, 2022                         Thanksgiving

December 24 thru Jan. 1st                      Winter Break (reopen Mon., Jan. 2nd)

January 16, 2023                       Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

February 20, 2023                                   President’s Day

March 22 – 23 – 24, 2023                       Spring Break

May 29, 2023                                           Memorial Day

TBD                                 Last Day of school year

Dear Families,

     It feels like Spring has sprung as things are starting to look green around the edges in anticipation of an explosion of growth and color! The children always look so big this time of year as their growth spurts become evident in their longer limbs, joyful energy and engaged minds – bursting with all they know and are curious about! 

     We had such a wonderful time investigating mysteries, and honing our detective skills! We are sure you all have professional, in-house sleuths if you have any mysteries to investigate in your homes!

   Friends’n Fun loves to create opportunity for theatrical performances. We value the collaboration involved as the children work together to organize all of the parts of a play – costumes, props, scenery and script. As you probably already know we began a focus on theatre following Spring Break. We read lots of children’s books that could lend themselves to theatrical interpretation, and then the children were instrumental in choosing what would be fun to do in each of the small groups. Janet’s MW group are being animals at the zoo in THE BABY BEEBEE BIRD, and her T/Th crew are putting together their very own version of THE FOUR BILLY GOATS GRUFF and the TWO SILLY TROLLS. Jane’s MW group are practicing balancing as they are working on CAPS FOR SALE, and the T/Th bunch are headed to the jungle to perform ANANSI and the MOSS COVERED ROCK. Katey’s MW little ones are rolling around in preparation for TEN in the BED and T/Th are trying to cheer up a disgruntled friend in GRUMPY BIRD.

We will take lots of photos of our performances!

 Following an AMAZING Artist Series, Studio Discovery Fridays are now getting very physical as the children explore the principles of “rolling.” It has been loads of fun to set objects in motion, and a delight to learn the term “revolutions” as we count how many rolls it takes for cylinders of varying circumferences to find their way along a measured path!

HAPPY SPRING!!!!!

       Jane, Katey and Janet

DATES!!!!!!

The last day of this school session is Friday May 27th. 

Summer session will start Wednesday June 1st, and run through August 19th. We will be closed to children the week of August 22nd to prepare for the next school year.

Fall session will begin Monday August 29th.

Spring Conferences 

We will be holding Spring Conferences to celebrate the children’s growth and accomplishments. We will schedule the conferences in May, and we will let you know the times and dates once we have it sorted out.

Dear Parents,

Is it really possible that February is next week and the beginning of 2022 is in the rearview mirror?? As they say – time flies!!

We began the New Year continuing with our study of snow and winter, and eventually some snow arrived… Now it seems it doesn’t want to stop!

Some of the children investigated snowflake and crystal patterns and sketched and labeled them; some of us learned about animals that hibernate and made winter homes for a variety of creatures; others checked out tracks and footprints and then made tracks of their own; some of us used selfie paper dolls to dress up in all of our winter gear; some built a big snowman with big boxes (the snow hadn’t made an appearance yet!); and some of us became snowflake “detectives” checking out how snowflakes look close up and then experimenting with conditions for melting snow. The snowflake detectives began searching for clues and investigating lots of mysterious happenings around school. This “detective” business caught on and lots of kids began questioning and searching. 

Lo and behold the focus of our next study was born!!! Our young SLEUTHS are honing their detective skills daily and will soon be ready to solve big mysteries! We are sharpening our five senses; developing our abilities to detect and formulate clues; and we are having loads of fun! Stay tuned to hear more about our detectives and the capers they solve!

The Friday Studio Discovery Artist Series has been a delight! So far we have spent three Fridays exploring Picasso’s style as a ceramicist, resulting in our own ceramic pieces. We then looked at Wassily Kandinsky and created three different pieces inspired by his work. The children made prints using brightly colored concentric circles; watercolor paintings with dramatic black lines; and painted to music, using color and sometimes lines, to reflect how the music made them feel. Next up is ephemeral land and nature artist Andy Goldsworthy.

Valentine’s Day                                       

Your children are invited to bring Valentines for their friends on Monday, February 14th or Tuesday the 15th. For children of preschool age it is best to just have them write their names on the cards and leave the envelopes blank. You can buy pre-packaged valentines or join them in making their own creations. Bring 16 cards for the Monday group and 17 cards for the Tuesday group. We will share them during our celebration. 

If you would like to contribute to our celebration let the teachers know and we will put your name and offering on a sign up. We would love to have 4 snacks that are either whole fruits or prepackaged items. Special valentine plates, cups and napkins and stickers are also fun. 

               THANKS!!!     

             Jane, Katey and Janet 

Calendar Reminder: FnF will be closed for President’s Day February 21. All closure dates are listed in your September newsletter. 

When the Snow Flies Reminder: In the event of heavy snow and/or ice please check your email the night before and the morning of a snow storm. If we are uncertain about closure or a late start due to watching how a storm evolves we will notify you the night before and then confirm our decision the next morning by 7 AM. If you need to check in with one of us please text or call Janet or Jane. 

Please send snow pants, boots, hats and mittens on snowy days! We don’t want to miss out on those precious days of playing in the snow!!!

Dear Parents,

We are still busy taking TRIPS via our imaginations in small group!  We have been to: beaches, mountains, tree stores, zoos, the Antarctic.  We have traveled by: car, helicopter, train, bus, airplane, and hot air balloon.  Our journeys will continue for a bit – there are still ideas brewing, and locations to be explored. 

In this newsletter we have some things happening that we want to let you know about, as well as reminders of when school will be closed in the upcoming months.

PLEASE be sure to read the newsletter carefully and mark your calendar for important dates.

CELEBRATING HANUKKAH

For more than 25 years, our friend Bruce Kirschner has been helping us celebrate Hanukkah.  He started when his boys attended FnF and reaches out each year to schedule a date to come celebrate with all of us here.  Bruce will be joining us on Monday, September 29th.  He will teach the kids how to play dreidel, talk about the menorah and light the candles, as well as read us one or two of our favorite children’s Hanukkah stories.  We will get to eat latkes for our snack!  We want to let you know that Bruce has been fully vaccinated and will complete the health check upon arrival.  Last year we celebrated with Bruce virtually, so we are looking forward to the rousing good time that we always have with his return this year.

Share-a-Gift

We are proud to be participating in Share-a-Gift again this year. Share-a-Gift is an annual, all-volunteer, non-profit toy collection and distribution holiday project encompassing the Boulder Valley school area. Last  year over 740 households (representing over 1900 children, ages birth to 14 in our community) received these donations. To be successful, Share-a-Gift needs thousands of high quality, NEW toys, games, books, and puzzles. School collections are the biggest source of toys for Share-a-Gift. Toys may be dropped off in the Share-a-Gift box on our front porch beginning  Monday, November 22nd through Friday, December 10th.   If you would like to offer a monetary donation for the organization to purchase new items from wholesale distributors, you can do that via: https://givebutter.com/SAG2021.  Friends ‘n Fun families have been one of their biggest donors in the past.  Let’s see what we can do to continue this tradition of giving!

FAMILY TRADITIONS

The holiday season is upon us.  It all begins with Halloween (from the children’s perspective) and rolls into Diwali, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Las Posadas, Christmas, multiple New Years’, and many other wonderful celebrations that honor special cultural and religious traditions.  We join together with family and friends to enjoy this season.

We treasure all of the unique and distinctive differences and unifying similarities that make up our school community.  This holiday season we would like to recognize all of our families.

We would like to invite your family to decorate a tree branch (provided by us!) with photographs and small objects that represent special things about your family.  We will provided an assortment of yarns, beads, wire, buttons, jewels, etc., for each family.  You can attach photographs, small objects, anything that represents what is important/traditional to your family.  The things you use to embellish the branch should represent your family’s interests (biking, pets, skiing, baking, music, etc.), as well as special celebrations. 

Branches and decorative goodies will be sent home the week of December 6th. Please return your branch when it is ready.  They will hang in school for quite awhile, and we do not want to add “one more thing” to your To Do list.

Branches will be hung to be enjoyed by the children, and will be sent home in late January/early February.  

IMPORTANT DATES !!!!!!!!!!!

Nov. 17 & 18 – Tree of Thanks leaves to be sent home. Return to us anytime from the 19th on.

Nov. 25-26 – CLOSED for Thanksgiving Holiday

Week of Dec. 6 – Tradition Branches sent home.  Return to us anytime.

Dec. 24 – Jan 2nd 2021         – FnF CLOSED. 

                          We will be closed from Friday, Dec. 24th

                          through Sunday, January 2nd.

                          We will reopen on Monday, January 3, 2021.

January 17            – FnF CLOSED in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day 

**Wishing you all a happy holiday season!   Jane, Janet & Katey **

Fall is upon us once again!  We are loving the cooler days and watching leaves as they drift down from the trees in the back yard.

Over the past several weeks the story, Owl Babies, has provided us with opportunities to share the feelings and emotions of being at school, apart from our families.  The reassuring theme that mom/family always come back has helped us settle into trusting that will happen each day.  From there the children have had great fun exploring owls in a multitude of ways. Some of the experiences in small group have included: making owls out of a variety of materials – cardboard tubes, pinecones, fabric; transforming from children into owls through the use of face paint, beautifully crafted owl headbands and fabric wings; studying owl skeletal structure, feathers, and owl pellets; setting up places for owls to play; and going “owling” on the playground by finding pictures of owls that were camouflaged by their surroundings.  The owl fun helped bring us together in our small groups. This was a new experience for many of the children.  We have successfully “nested” in group and are ready to take flight toward our next exploratory journey….

Inspired by the children’s conversations about recent travels, we will be talking about TRIPS!  Where can we go?  How will we get there?  What will we need?  What will we do while we are there?  Our travels will involve a lot of imagination, exploration and creativity.  We aren’t quite sure where we will “go”, but it is sure to be an exciting adventure!

Studio Discovery Friday’s have been a sensorially satisfying exploration of Scooping and Pouring.  We have used scoops, spoons, seashells, cardboard tubes and our hands to scoop and pour sand, water, flour, water beads and beans.  This has been such a satisfying experience each week that the children don’t want to stop when it is time to let another group of friends have a turn.  They could stay there for an hour!  Our next Studio Discovery series will focus on Pushing & Pulling.

HALLOWEEN:  We will celebrate Halloween on Wednesday October 27th and Thursday October 28th in Friends ‘n Fun style.  We want to celebrate one of the kids’ favorite holidays, and we do it in a way that everyone has fun and feels safe. Costumes can be scary and confusing to some children, so we ask that you keep your child’s costume at home and not bring them to school.  We will play games, read some Halloween stories, have a special snack and have our annual pumpkin rolling race!  We are still not allowed to have any home made goodies – all snacks must be store packaged or whole fruits/vegetables. If you would like to contribute, we will have a sign-up available at drop-off/pick-up for: snacks, halloween plates, cups or napkins – and we always love Halloween stickers. It would also be great if you could send a small pumpkin to school on our celebration day for the race. A pie pumpkin is the perfect size!

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES:  Thanks to everyone for making the time to meet with your child’s small group teacher.  We always enjoy this time to connect, especially since our daily connecting time is limited due to COVID protocols. If at any time you would like to talk again, please let us know.  We are always happy to set up a time for that, in-person or via phone.

SNACKS: Many of you have asked how you can contribute to our snack times.  If you want to plan on a specific day, send us an email with the day you want to bring snack and we will put your name on our snack calendar.  Or, if being spontaneous is more your style, bring some snack at morning drop-off time.  We will either use the snack that day, or save it for another day your child is at school.  Thank you!

Please watch Channel 9 News for notices of school closings or late 

opening times on days of extreme snow.  If you can, check Channel 9

News online for the most current updates, as the television has a 

delay time from when we called.  We will also post closures on the 

“Latest & Greatest” page on our website and our Facebook page: 

www.friendsnfunchildrenscenter.com

www.facebook.com/FriendsnFunChildrensCenterInc

Phone numbers – If something should come up during off school hours call

Jane or Janet’s cell phone number (on the class list).

HAPPY FALL EVERYONE!!!!! 

           Janet, Jane and Katey

Dear Parents,

                                               Welcome to a new school year at Friends ‘n Fun! 

  Our mission is to provide your child with experiences that are filled with adventure, exploration and discovery.  We want to be in collaboration with you as we work together to support your child as he/she grows and develops during these exciting early years of childhood. This partnership is of great value to us and we encourage you to let us know of any concerns or questions that you may have throughout the school year. 

Teachers at FnF realize that parents know their children better than anyone.  It is you who have seen them smile their first smile; it is you who celebrated their first words and first steps; it is you who have nursed them through illness and accidents; and it is you who continue to encourage, support, comfort and love them. Thank you for sharing your children with us and know that we take the trust you have extended us very seriously.

              We all look forward to an exciting year and to all of the journeys ahead of us!

Janet, Jane & Katey

This newsletter has a lot of information regarding upcoming events and getting started in our program.  PLEASE take time to read it and make notes on your own family’s calendar so that your family does not miss out on important dates, etc. 

September’s Journey –

The beginning of a new school year presents us with an opportunity to see ourselves not only as individuals but also as a part of something bigger: a family, a school setting, a community.  

“A child is born a first time, and then, through the long and difficult process of constructing his identity, it is as if he is born again.  In this process, he gives himself a face, a body, gestures, movement, speech, thought, feelings, imagination, fantasy; in short, the awareness of being and the means of expressing his “me-ness” which is absolutely essential for becoming autonomous and distinguishing ourselves from other people and things – people and things we live and interact with and from which, little by little, we draw most of the raw material with which we create our own identity.  To recognize ourselves and to be recognized.  But a child’s most sought-after goal is to recognize himself in others, and to find in others (objects and the natural world as well) parts of himself.” 

Loris Malaguzzi 

One of the pieces of our daily schedule is the time of the day when we gather the children together in smaller pods to share ideas, activities and experiences as we explore a shared focus. On M/W and T/TH we do this in “Small Group.” The children come together with a teacher who will remain their small group teacher for the year. It is a time when we put similarly aged children together. There are the 2 1/2 to 3 year olds; the pre-kindergarten aged children; and a crew who aren’t quite the youngest and not quite the oldest.  Small Group topics are selected in a variety of ways. Sometimes we use a rich and relevant children’s book as an anchor for exploration; sometimes teachers sense that a particular topic may be helpful in connecting the children to the school and each other; other times (and our favorite) is when we see patterns emerge in the children’s play that cross ages and gender and call for a more in depth investigation. 

Friday is the day we switch gears a bit and have what we call  “Studio Discovery.” Teachers set up a “surprise” for the children as they take turns messing about with materials and experiences that invite discovery. The teachers observe and learn about each child’s approach to what is set before them. Sometimes it is an individual experience that encourages creativity,  investigation or tactile experimentation and sometimes they are asked to work together to generate ideas and solutions to specific problems.

       This Fall, along with our established friends, we have many new friends who are coming to a school for the first time ever, or who are unfamiliar with our school. The teachers have chosen the book “Owl Babies” by Martin Waddell as our jumping off point because it so beautifully illustrates the feelings children can have when leaving their families and trusting that they will come back. It also opens the door to learning about owls, the forest, and size differentiation. As always, the “journey” we take with this, and all topics, will be co-evolved in collaboration with the children. Their interests and input will help the teachers shape and guide the path we traverse. 

We will begin our Studio Discovery explorations with experiences focusing on the physical and tactile nature of

 “Scooping & Pouring/Pushing & Pulling.”

Stay tuned as our journeys begin to see what kinds of adventures await us on the path ahead!

Covid Precautions

We have been so very fortunate over the past 18 months to have successfully managed the pandemic and remain open without times of quarantine. That has been in large part due to the amazing efforts of all of our FnF families and their conscientious diligence in monitoring their families health and virus exposure so as to insure we are all as protected as possible. An exposure to Covid at FnF would likely result in a 10 day quarantine for the entire school.  We appreciate everyones continued efforts and awareness.

The current public health order requires masking of children and adults inside FnF.  We are remaining masked outside as well.  This allows children to play and engage in a closer and more natural way.  If it works for you to send a couple of extra masks to school we will help children trade out masks if theirs becomes wet during their day.

A way you can help us at home is to help your child with the recommended  hand washing routine of: getting hands wet, applying soap, rubbing their hands with soap for 20 seconds outside of the water stream (singing the ABC song, happy birthday two times, or counting to 20 slowly), before rinsing the soap off and drying their hands.

Jane participates in a monthly Boulder County Public Health department (Child Health Promotion ) call and is in touch with the epidemiology team as any questions arise.  We will communicate any changes in guidance/recommendations as we receive them.

We can all help take care of each other within our Friends’n Fun Community and safe guard the health of ourselves and those in our lives outside of school!  

Drop off and Pick Up

We are so grateful to have our new neighbor, East Simpson Coffee Company, join us on our end of Simpson Street. With an additional business occupying our neighborhood, parking and access to school can be a bit squishy at times. There is a public parking lot right behind school that you can use should you encounter a really busy time. If you park there you can walk between FnF and the office building next to us to come around to the front.

This school year we have more children leaving at the 12:00 pick up time than we did last year. We want to be able to touch base with each of you and share something about your child’s day so we will be sending children out to greet their families a few at a time. After a couple of weeks, arrivals and departures usually smooth out as some people end up coming a bit earlier and later. If over time it still feels too congested we can think about staggering pick up times. 

If there is a day where you will be later than expected or your child will not be attending please give us a call or email to let us know!

Dear Families,      

It feels like Spring has sprung as things are starting to look green around the edges in anticipation of an explosion of growth and color! The children always look so big this time of year as their growth spurts become evident in their longer limbs, joyful energy and engaged minds – bursting with all they know and are curious about!     We have had such a wonderful time over the past several months exploring Adventures in Imagination. We have taken so many unique and interesting twists and turns along this journey. Katey’s Monday/Wednesday crew took turns evolving individual adventure ideas – Isobel wanted to bring her interest in penguins to the journey; B. a desire to excavate dinosaur bones; X. a fascination with sharks; and J.’s love of Unicorns. Katey’s Tuesday/Thursday crew had a collective interest in Zoo Animals and Zoos so they worked together becoming zoo animals and creating and playing in a zoo. They then wanted to write and illustrate a book entitled Dinosaur and Dogs Fun Party! They did this while pretending to be cats…………talk about IMAGINATION!   Jane’s Monday/Wednesday crew took their imaginations to Outer Space. Their “pretend” spacecraft required a control panel, a battery to power the “rocket”, and a refrigerator that was decorated with artwork on the front while housing a creature inside (puppy; unicorns; and a giraffe.) Once these essentials were created the countdown and journey to Outer Space could begin! The Tuesday/Thursday group became architects as they designed, sketched and built innovative houses influenced by shapes. There was a triangle, a rectangle with a rainbow, and circular designs.  Puppets created to live and play in the houses completed the experience. Next they became a passel of princesses wielding their royal power with the aid of pet dragons! Watch out!   Each of Janet’s kids wanted to contribute an idea to the journey, and everyone was delighted with “trying on” each others imaginations as the ideas came to life. L. loves historical figures and shared her passion of knights of old as we made helmets and shields to aid us while protecting the kingdom from dragons. L. loves fashion and inspired the creation of well dressed wooden people. F. enjoys the freeform use of tubes and tape and the room was a buzz with busy hands and minds. D.’s passion is video games, which inspired creating a pretend iPad and a few fun games. M. rounded out the Monday/Wednesday peeps by taking us on a journey with knights from the future – Jedi’s wielding light sabers. On Tuesday/Thursday E. (a farmer at heart) challenged us with making a John Deere combine to harvest corn. L. picked up the pace with his interest in race cars, and M.’s love of unicorns enticed us to bring them to life in a magical forest.    Our imaginations will continue to guide us each and every day, but as we are finishing up the last bits of this journey we are also preparing for the next one. A theme that has emerged in the children’s play throughout the year is DOGS! So we will be shifting to a new focus soon. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for what pops up along the way – maybe a little tail wagging, fetching, and some canine tricks?   Studio Discovery Fridays will continue with an exploration of shapes. Can anyone say “Quadrilateral?”                                                

HAPPY SPRING!!!!!          Jane, Katey and Janet

Dear Parents,       

It is with gratitude that we here at FnF are privileged to begin this long awaited New Year with all of you and your inspirational children! Speaking of the children – we wrapped up our Study of the Wind right before the Winter Break. What a rich and wonderful experience it was for all! The children became interested in knowing about so many different aspects of the wind as well as creating things to observe and measure and play with the wind. Some groups made wind socks, wind indicators, anemometers and pinwheels. Others tested different materials to see how a kite works. They then evaluated their results and settled on tried and true designs. We talked about lift, wind speed and how to tell the direction of the wind. We “captured” the wind and became more conscious of this invisible force. Powerful winds were of great interest to the older children as they learned what weather conditions create the possibility of tornados. This learning was followed up with mini-worlds that included a 3-dimensional tornado that swooped in, and in the words of the children, “did damage and destruction!” Thank you to Gilberto, the little boy in the story “Gilberto and the Wind,” for leading the way!    

We now have a New Year and a new Study! The teachers interviewed the children about their interests before settling on the next focus. We gathered a multitude of different thoughts and ideas and as we stirred them up in our “planning pot” we wanted to find a way to honor the variety and still connect them under a unifying “umbrella.” Adventures in Imagination came to mind and we tossed it out to the children who enthusiastically okayed the idea!   

So we are off on a New Journey! We asked the children to describe Imagination: “Imagination helps you think of something cool to make.” “Imagination helps you have an idea of something to do.” “Imagination is in your head.” “It’s pretend.” “Imagination helps you have ideas.” “Its like part of books and stuff. You make up stuff in your imagination.” “Imagination helps me think about building a fort.” “Its in your brain.” “Sometimes it feels real but it isn’t true.” “ Sometimes imagination can make you feel scared.”   

We will have such fun and learn lots along the way as we follow our amazing Imaginations wherever they lead!  

Studio Discovery Friday is now exploring the concept of SHAPE. Of course basic shapes will be part of our exploration but that will just scratch the surface as we look at shapes in nature and structures and light and shadow and – well – just about everything, because Shape and Shapes are everywhere!   

Happy New Year to All!!!! Be Well,          Jane, Katey and Janet 

A Calendar Reminder: FnF will be closed for Martin Luther King day on Monday January 18th. All closure dates are listed in your September newsletter. 

When the Snow Flies Reminder: In the event of heavy snow and/or ice please check your email the night before and the morning of a snow storm. If we are uncertain about closure or a late start due to watching how a storm evolves we will notify you the night before and then confirm our decision the next morning by 7 AM. If you need to check in with one of us please text or call Janet or  Jane. 

Valentine’s Day: We will celebrate Valentine’s day in the same manner in which we celebrated Halloween! Details will come in early February. 

Dear Parents,

Welcome to a new school year at Friends ‘n Fun!

The pandemic that we are all living with presents us with a school year unique to all others in our history. The challenges facing all of us as we navigate our world in the safest, healthiest way we can are many, but our commitment to providing the best possible experience for children and families remains strong! Our mission is to provide your child with experiences that are filled with adventure, exploration and discovery. We want to be in collaboration with you as we work together to support your child as he/she grows and develops during these exciting early years of childhood. This partnership is of great value to us and we encourage you to let us know of any concerns or questions that you may have throughout the school year.

Teachers at FnF realize that parents know their children better than anyone. It is you who have seen them smile their first smile; it is you who celebrated their first words and first steps; it is you who have nursed them through illness and accidents, and it is you who continue to encourage, support, comfort and love them. Thank you for sharing your children with us and know that we take the trust you have extended us very seriously.

We all look forward to an exciting year and to all of the journeys ahead of us! Janet, Jane & Katey

This newsletter has a lot of information regarding upcoming events and getting started in our program. PLEASE take time to read it and make notes on your own family’s calendar so that your family does not miss out on important dates, etc.

September’s Journey –

The beginning of a new school year presents us with an opportunity to see ourselves not only as individuals but also as a part of something bigger: a family, a school setting, a community.

“A child is born a first time, and then, through the long and difficult process of constructing his identity, it is as if he is born again. In this process, he gives himself a face, a body, gestures, movement, speech, thought, feelings, imagination, fantasy; in short, the awareness of being and the means of expressing his “me-ness” which is absolutely essential for becoming autonomous and distinguishing ourselves from other people and things – people and things we live and interact with and from which, little by little, we draw most of the raw material with which we create our own identity. To recognize ourselves and to be recognized. But a child’s most sought-after goal is to recognize himself in others, and to find in others (objects and the natural world as well) parts of himself.” ~Loris Malaguzzi

We have decided to start our year off with the idea of “CONNECTION.” The coronavirus has required all of us to look a bit differently at ways to connect and stay connected, and so with that being part of everyone’s life experience, exploring the concept of connection seems a fitting place to begin. Some of the places we hope this journey will lead us to are: exploring how objects connect; how things in the world are connected; and what makes people connected. The children have already generated thoughts and ideas: “Connection means things go together.” “People are connected because they are friends!” “The body is connected because feet are hooked to legs.” “Trees are connected to the ground.” “Things connect when you hear them click.” As always we will work together with the children to see how the twists and turns of our travels take shape.

We look forward to the journey and will be excited to see how it grows and evolves! Stay tuned……………………………!

On STUDIO DISCOVERY FRIDAYS we will be looking at Comparative Measurements. We hope to explore size, distance and visual perspective, weight and volume …….. and anything else that happens to come up!

• – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

We worked hard this summer to implement all of the health and safety protocols outlined for us by Boulder County Public Health. We continually adapted to all of the evolving information and frequently updated regulations and recommendations. During the summer we were told that young children (5 and under) were not required to wear masks at school and that schools should focus their efforts on monitoring physically distanced play, hand washing hygiene and disinfection protocols. Last week these recommendations were updated and they are now asking that all children 3 and over wear masks at school.

We know this is a big change from the summer session policy, and with teacher support we will work compassionately with the children to learn how to wear masks at school. We will have masks at school to use should you forget, but we ask you to start sending them with your children this week. We will make sure they get breaks from the masks and of course they won’t wear them for drinks of water, snack, lunch and resting time. During all of those times children are distanced by a minimum of 6 feet. During the summer session a few children wore masks at FnF and this past week many children practiced mask wearing at school. We have learned that children can be remarkably good at this health practice and soon forget they are even wearing them. Please talk with us about any concerns you have and we can develop a reassuring plan with your child should he/she be apprehensive about the change.

Mask wearing is a way we can all help take care of each other within our Friends’n Fun Community and safe guard the health of ourselves and those in our lives outside of school!

And as required, the adults will always wear masks!

UPCOMING EVENTS

During a typical school year we would have made plans for a Fall potluck, Fall parent/ teacher conferences and a had a date secured for our annual Family Branch making event held during the holiday season. Alas……the virus is not cooperating with our typical plans!

Teachers will organize a schedule for Fall conferences via Zoom within the next couple of weeks as soon as we can devise a plan to do so! Stay tuned…………

BITS & PIECES

HEALTH FORMS – The State of Colorado requires us to have a recent physical for each child at FnF. This physical must be updated annually. Jane will let you know if you are missing any paperwork and when it needs to be updated.

PERMISSION FORM– Licensing requires the permissions page of your child’s paperwork to be initialed and dated annually. Jane will catch you to have you sign/date the permission form for this year.

INFORMATION CHANGES – Jane will be asking returning families to review their child’s enrollment forms and update any changes to: address, phone numbers, employment (and that contact information), emergency contact, physician, insurance. If any of those things change during the year, please let us know so that we have current/correct information.

MEDICATIONS – A form MUST be completed by your doctor each time he/she prescribes ANY medications to be given to your child while in our care. This includes prescriptions and over the counter meds. Please ask Jane or Janet for the medications form and have your physician complete this form and return to school with the medication(s), as we will not be able to administer any medications without it. Please note that we are not allowed to administer any homeopathic medications/remedies. THANKS!

WATER BOTTLES & BACKPACKS These items are fun to have but the public health department is asking that we limit objects that travel to and from home and school. SORRY!

CLASS LIST WITH CONTACT INFORMATION – we are working on this and will make sure everyone has a copy once it’s ready!

****************************************************************

Please watch Channel 9 News for notices of school closings or late opening times on days of extreme snow. If you can, check Channel 9 News online for the most current updates, as the television has a delay time from when we called. We will also post closures on the “Latest & Greatest” page on our website and our Facebook page:

www.friendsnfunchildrenscenter.com www.facebook.com/FriendsnFunChildrensCenterInc

Phone numbers – If something should come up during off school hours call Jane or Janet on their cell phone numbers (listed on class list).

FRIENDS ‘N FUN SCHOOL CLOSINGS FOR 2020 -2021

September 7, 2020 Labor Day

November 26 – 27, 2020 Thanksgiving

December 24-31 & January 1 Winter Break (reopen Mon., Jan. 4th)

January 18, 2021 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

February 15, 2021 President’s Day

March 24 – 25 – 26, 2021 Spring Break

May 28, 2021 Last Day of school year

May 31, 2021 Memorial Day

June 1, 2021 First Day of summer session

July:Aug Summer 2020

Dear Parents,
We began our summer with great anticipation of being back at Friends ’n Fun – in a slightly different style due to COVID. The children have continually amazed us with how adaptable they have been to the changes we had to implement. What the virus couldn’t do is dampen their spirits, their joy, their creativity, their silliness, or their desire to have fun!

We have continued on in the theme of A House is a House for Me, with the children. After making shoebox houses for their little selves, we made nests and pinecone birds. The children then created masks and wings to become birds and flew around the yard, caring for their little birds and finding safe spots for their nests. The nests were carefully tucked in some branches, greenery, and out of sight of predators. Some of the little pinecone birds took turns sliding down the slide in their nests. The children delighted in seeing if their birds bounced out of the nest at the bottom or stayed safe inside the nest!

The past couple of weeks our focus has been on creating the most amazing fairy houses we have ever seen, or have ever been made, at FnF. The houses and gardens are complete. Next week we will be making the fairies that will inhabit those magical little dwellings.

We have been so busy playing, creating, and enjoying each other’s company that when we took a moment to look up, we realized summer has flown by and that it is quickly drawing to a close! Our fairy house work will carry us through these next two weeks.

OUR LAST DAY OF SUMMER IS: FRIDAY, AUGUST 14TH.

We will be closed August 17th-21st for our annual cleaning, planning, staff development, and getting ready for fall. For those of you returning for Fall 2020, our first days of school will be Monday & Tuesday, August 24 & 25. You will be receiving more information prior to those dates.

Thank you for sharing your children with us this summer. We could not be happier with how this summer unfolded.

~ Jane, Janet & Katey

Dear Parents,

    The hustle bustle of the Holiday season feels far behind us and we can’t believe it’s February already! 

   We kicked off the Holiday season with your beautiful leaves of gratitude being attached to our Tree of Thanks. Then we had our annual Family Branch celebration the weekend before Thanksgiving. We are so grateful to all of you for sharing your family’s words and wishes and photos and creations as we enjoyed them fluttering in the breeze on our maple tree and dangling above us on the beautiful hanging branches!! 

    December also brings a visit from one of our past parents and long time friend, Bruce Kirschner, whose adult sons Paul and Sam attended Friends’n Fun as preschoolers. Each year he comes to school to celebrate Hanukkah with us.  Bruce has been doing this with us for over 20 years now!  He engages the children with his warm and fun personality and is always memorable. He is a treasure!

    We hope you have been hearing about THE MITTEN at home.  Each group explored this story in a wide variety of ways.  There was lots of sewing going as as some of us – hand stitched mittens from felted wool; hand stitched animal stuffies; used our sewing machine (with assistance) to sew fleece mittens; and Katey’s group even used it to sew a GIANT mitten to use in acting out the story.  Others created animal puppets and “mini” forests.  And still others embodied the essence of the animals as they donned amazing headdresses!  So many creative ways to delve into the mitten – both literally and figuratively.

    This story lends itself beautifully to an acting opportunity.  Everyone has made an animal mask – and they are beyond adorable! We have read a few different versions of the story.  Katey’s groups will synthesize the children’s favorite aspects of each and write a “script” for our play. Jane, Rebecca and Janet’s groups will be in charge of the set.  We promise to take lots of photos to display and include in portfolios.

Our Studio Discovery series is now focused on TOOLS.  So far everyone has had a chance to measure, saw and hammer – with safety always being the first priority.  We will continue to practice using different tools and, perhaps, in the end, there will be something we construct for school.  One never quite knows what will happen in Studio Discover.  And that is half the fun!

SHARE-A-GIFT and FOOD COLLECTION

The people at Share-a-Gift tell us that each year Friends ‘n Fun parents are one of the most generous group of contributors to their program.  This year our box was filled 3 times!

Here is an excerpt from a follow up email sent by the Director of Share-a-Gift!

Hello schools!

Thanks again for all your support of Share A Gift this year!  Thanks to your generosity, 1324 children in BVSD will be receiving gifts this holiday season! Again, we couldn’t do it without all of you so thanks again! On behalf of the whole Share A Gift Board, Jen Gero

NOTE CARD FUNDRAISER!!!!!!

Thanks to all of you for your notecard orders. Your contributions raised $1300.  We hope that you and your families enjoy the amazing artwork created by your children. Thank you so much for your continued support and generosity!

SNOWY WEATHER!!!!

We will notify 9 News if we will be closed due to bad winter weather. It sometimes takes awhile for schools to be listed on television but a listing pops up pretty quickly on their website, so check there as well. We will also post closures on our Facebook page and on our website on the Latest & Greatest page.  If you are not sure you are welcome to call Jane or Janet.

VALENTINE’S DAY– 

Your children are invited to bring valentines for their friends on Thursday, February 13th or Friday the 14th.  

For children of preschool age it is best to only have them write their names on the cards and leave the envelopes blank.  You can buy pre-packaged valentines or join them in making their own creations.

 Bring 22 cards for the Thursday group and 22 cards for the Friday group.                                           

A Valentine snack sign up will be posted on the parent bulletin board closer to time.

~ PARENT SERIES ~

Friends ’n Fun parent, and Art Therapist, Kate Morris (Evie’s mom) developed a training series for FnF teaching staff focusing on self care and emotional support.  It was such an enriching experience for us that she was curious if it would be something parents might also enjoy.  

  The series would be offered every other week, in the evenings, over the course of 6 weeks.  Exact dates and times will be announced as we gauge interest.  The sessions can be attended as a series, or individually, at $20 per session.  A minimum of 4 participants will be needed and up to 10 are welcome.  

If you are interested, please let Janet or Jane know and we will get that information to Kate.

Engaging our “Best Parenting Selves:”  A Three Part Series

– Practicing Self Care: Enjoying Self Care and Stress Reducing Behaviors ~

• Healthy nourishment! YUM!

• Self-massage

·      Discussing and sharing personal self-care practice and incorporating self-care into daily life

– The Art of Being Present: Practicing the Art of Being Present, Sensory Walk  ~

·      “Earthing” and its benefits

·      Being present through experiencing our senses 

– Soulful Listening: Collaging a Soulful Mantra ~

·      Writing what our souls and hearts need to hear

·      Making a “mantra reminder sign” 

·      Sharing the experience

·      Planning to support each other to practice the strategies of mindful self-care, being present and soulful listening and integrating these strategies in our work with children.

UPCOMING DATES TO BE AWARE OF:

Please mark your calendars and note the following dates.

 Thursday/Friday, February 13th & 14th: Valentine’s Day

 Monday, February 17th: President’s Day – Friends ‘n Fun CLOSED

Wednesday-Friday, March 25, 26, 27: Spring Break – Friends ‘n Fun CLOSED

Wednesday/Thursday, May 6th and 7th: Mother’s Day Tea

Monday, May 25th: CLOSED Memorial Day

Thursday/ Friday, May 28th & 29th:  Last days of school

Monday, June 1st: First day of summer session

Ingredients

• 4 Cups of flour

• 1/2 to 3/4 Cup table salt

• 2 heaping Tablespoons cream of tartar

• almost 5 Cups hot tap water

• 4 Tablespoons of vegetable oil

• Food coloring

Instructions:

Combine flour, salt and cream of tartar in a large bowl. In a pitcher, combine water, vegetable oil and food coloring. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Add more food coloring if you’d like (FYI – the color will get darker when it is cooked). Pour into a pan (non-stick is helpful!) and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly. Stir until mixture becomes firm and holds together, and is not too sticky. You might get brave and give it a feel to see if it sticks to your fingers when you press it gently. When it is cooked, turn it out into a plastic grocery bag. Knead the dough in the bag while it is still hot. Once cooled down it is ready for playing. Store in a sealed container. Have fun!

Dear Parents,

 We have had such a lovely beginning to our school year! 

We kicked off this school year with a focus on the children’s book The Big Umbrella, by Amy June Bates. In the story a red umbrella expands and grows as it welcomes all who need shelter under its outstretched “arms.” Through a variety of experiences we explored this idea together. We first looked at ourselves under the umbrella ….and then expanded to our small groups under the umbrella…….and then we included everyone in the whole school! One of Katey’s small groups even MADE an umbrella!

We dug a little deeper and imagined that the umbrella could get so large that it could shelter our Friends’n Fun neighborhood. We walked and explored in and around East Simpson Street. The older children mapped Simpson Street from Friends’n Fun down to Michigan Street. We all decided that we would make some visits along the street to introduce ourselves to, and find out more about our neighbors. We visited the therapy based office building on the west side of Fnf; The Miner’s Museum; Habitat for Humanity; HIFI Jones Studio and Gallery; Angelique Sabo Acupuncture: East Simpson Coffee Company; and the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism. Our neighbors were so friendly and fun to meet! When saying goodbye to our neighbor at the office building next to Fnf Miles Lieber said, “Now that we know each other, when you drive by (school) roll your window down and wave!” It is wonderful to be sheltered “under the umbrella” of our community. Take a moment to look at the wall in the front room and see our work and reflections on our visits.

We are now ready to enjoy a new journey! Stay tuned as woodland animals large and small seek the warmth and shelter of a very stretchy mitten as we begin our focus on the classic children’s story, THE MITTEN!

PLEASE be sure to read the newsletter carefully and mark your calendar for some exciting upcoming events!

Studio Discovery Fridays: Trees, trees and more trees! We have studied  these beautiful and important gifts from nature from top to bottom! In fact one of our favorite new (FnF composed)songs goes like this:

          “The roots are connected to the trunk, the trunk is connected to the boughs, the boughs are connected to the branches, the branches are connected to the twigs, the twigs are connected to the leaves, and those are the parts of the trees!”

This Friday our tree study will take a shift as we begin to explore trees as homes for animals and other creatures.

ANNUAL TREE OF THANKS – BY FRIENDS ‘n FUN FAMILIES –

We invite you to join us in creating a leaf to attach to the tree in our front yard.  We will be sending home paper leaves and a few fun things to embellish them with.  We would like you to work with your child and family to think about whom in your family, friends, neighbors and/or people in the community you are grateful to and why.  Then please write a short note of thanks explaining this on the leaf,  let the children decorate it, and then cover it (front & back) with the contact paper.  Make sure your child’d name is on the leaf! Teachers will have ribbon at school for you to use to tie the leaves onto a wire we will have affixed to the tree.  We are in the hopes that you and your children will take time to read the collection of leaves of thanks on our tree.  We also hope that the community of walkers by in Lafayette might see and learn more about us as a community at Friends ‘n Fun.

 SNOW DAYS

It’s that time of year again.  Our general rule of thumb is that if BVSD closes for weather, we likely will as well.  We list closure or late start a few different places when that happens.  Check these when in doubt:     

www.friendsnfunchildrenscenter.com – FnF Website on “Latest & Greatest” page

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsnFunChildrensCenterInc/  – Facebook

http://www.9news.com – Channel 9 News (closings/late starts are listed on website more quickly than TV streaming list)

We will make the decision to close based on the safety of all – children, parents and community.  If you have questions on snow days please call Janet or Jane.  We’ll do our best to keep you informed.  Thank you.

FAMILY TRADITIONS

The holiday season is upon us.  It all begins with Halloween (from the children’s perspective) and rolls into Diwali, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Las Posadas, Christmas, multiple New Years’, and many other wonderful celebrations that honor special cultural and religious traditions.  We join together with family and friends to enjoy this season.

We treasure all of the unique and distinctive differences and unifying similarities that make up our school community.  This holiday season we would like to recognize all of our families.

On Saturday, Nov.23rd from 1:00-3:00 we have once again reserved the John M. Taylor Conference Center at Imagine!, 1665 Coal Creek Drive, Lafayette (there are two Imagine! buildings – make sure you look for the Coal Creek address!).   We would like to invite your family to join us to decorate a tree branch with photographs and small objects that represent special things about your family.  We will provide an assortment of yarns, beads, wire, buttons, jewels, etc. – and a tree branch for each of you.  You can bring photographs, small objects and your wonderful children.  We will work together at Imagine! to create these beautiful branches.  We will then bring them back to school to display for all to enjoy.  The things you bring to embellish the branch should represent your family’s interests (biking, pets, skiing, etc.), as well as special celebrations.

 We hope you can attend this gathering to get to know each other and share in an activity with your children to celebrate this special time of year. Drop by anytime between 1 and 3 and spend as much time as works for you that day. 

FUNDRAISER  

In December we will create note cards using your child’s artwork – easel paintings, watercolor paintings, self-portraits, collages, etc.  Packages of your child’s note cards, with envelopes, will be available to you at $12.00 per package of 8.  In the past families have sent them to grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc. for holiday gifts.  The money raised goes to help purchase art supplies at Friends ‘n Fun.  Watch the parent bulletin board for additional details. This is our ONLY fundraiser of the year and it typically brings us about $1000 for use in our supply budget. We hope you can support us and enjoy this celebration of your children’s efforts. Thank you for your continued support of our small program.

Share-a-Gift

We are proud to be participating in Share-a-Gift again this year. Share-a-Gift is an annual, all-volunteer, non-profit toy collection and distribution holiday project encompassing the Boulder Valley school area. Last  year over 600 households (1600 boys and girls, ages birth to 14) received these community donations. To be successful, Share-a-Gift needs thousands of high quality, new and used toys, games, books, and puzzles. School collections are the biggest source of toys for Share-a-Gift. This collection allows children to meaningfully participate in gift giving by sharing their own gently used or new toys with less fortunate children in Boulder county. Toys may be dropped off in the Share-a-Gift box in our school beginning  Monday  November 25th, through Tuesday, December 10th.   Friends ‘n Fun families have been one of their biggest donors in the past.  Let’s see what we can do to continue this tradition of giving!

IMPORTANT DATES !!!!!!!!!!!

Nov. 14-15 – Tree of Thanks leaves to be sent home. Return to us anytime from the 18th on, and help your child attach them to our tree so   our neighborhood community can enjoy.

Nov. 23 – FnF Family Traditions Workshop – 

Imagine! John M. Taylor Conference Center – 1665 Coal Creek Drive Lafayette 1:00 – 3:00PM1

Nov. 28-29 – CLOSED for Thanksgiving Holiday

Dec. 23 – Dec.31 and Jan 1st 2020    – FnF Closed.

                        We will be closed from Monday, Dec. 23rd through Tuesday, Dec. 31st and Wednesday January 1st. We will reopen on Thursday, January 2, 2020.

January 20           – MLK

Dear Parents,

Dear Parents,

Welcome to a new year at Friends ‘n Fun.  Our mission is to help you to provide your child with experiences that are filled with adventure, exploration and discovery.  We want to be in collaboration with you as we work together to support your child as he/she grows and develops during these exciting early years of childhood. We encourage you to let us know of any concerns or questions that you may have throughout the school year. 

Teachers at FnF realize that parents know their children better than anyone.  It is you who have seen them smile their first smile; it is you who celebrated their first words and first steps; it is you who have nursed them through illness and accidents, and it is you who continue to encourage, support, comfort and love them. Thank you for sharing your children with us and know that we take the trust you have extended us very seriously.

          Please always feel free to chat with us about the day’s events.

              We are all looking forward to an exciting year and all of the journeys ahead of us.

This newsletter has a lot of information regarding upcoming events and getting started in our program.  PLEASE take time to read it and make notes on your own family’s calendar so that your family does not miss out on important  dates, etc. 

TEACHER UPDATES…….

Some of you will have noticed that one of our co-teachers, Jamie Parker, has not returned this Fall. Jamie’s plan was to eventually become a kindergarten teacher and with the change to full day kindergarten this year she decided to give it a go. We will miss her and wish her well !!!……………

……….And are delighted to announce that Rebecca Franklin will be joining our team of teachers! Rebecca has been a part of our school community for many years. Initially as a parent to Charlotte and Estelle, who attended FnF, and then as an occasional substitute – and always a dear friend! Rebecca has been a Para – Educator in schools in BVSD and has a  background in both Human Development and Special Needs. We welcome her with excitement!

In addition to Rebecca joining our team we are very pleased to announce that Sandy Weeks, the founder of Friends’n Fun, has returned following an extended absence, to contribute her experience, expertise and support!! She is scheduled to be with us on MWF afternoons – but she will be around in other ways and at other times as well!   

We are all excited to our work together with your children!

September’s Journey –

The beginning of a new school year presents us with an opportunity to see ourselves not only as individuals but also as a part of something bigger: a family, a school setting, a community.  

“A child is born a first time, and then, through the long and difficult process of constructing his identity, it is as if he is born again.  In this process, he gives himself a face, a body, gestures, movement, speech, thought, feelings, imagination, fantasy; in short, the awareness of being and the means of expressing his “me-ness” which is absolutely essential for becoming autonomous and distinguishing ourselves from other people and things – people and things we live and interact with and from which, little by little, we draw most of the raw material with which we create our own identity.  To recognize ourselves and to be recognized.  But a child’s most sought-after goal is to recognize himself in others, and to find in others (objects and the natural world as well) parts of himself.” 

Loris Malaguzzi 

When beginning the process of planning for the start of our new school year the teachers became attracted to the idea of “community.” We know that at the beginning of a school year there are old friends and new friends and a shuffling of schedules which results in the forming of a “new” school community.   We were inspired not only by the idea of a focus on our school community but also the idea of the larger community FnF is a part of. The community of our old town neighborhood. We discovered a book,  THE BIG UMBRELLA by Amy June Bates, that feels like a good jumping off point. The symbolic imagery of a red umbrella that expands to shelter, connect and include each other and the larger world around us felt perfect!

   We look forward to the journey start and will be excited to see how it grows and evolves! Stay tuned……………………………!

STUDIO DISCOVERY FRIDAYS kick off this upcoming Friday August 30th with a focus on TREES!! We will center our discovery and  exploration on these magnificent gifts of nature!

SMALL GROUPS: We began our small groups this week. Check out the bulletin board to see who is/are your child’s Small Group Teacher and companions!

Greetings & Goodbyes –

Entering the school environment is a transition time and the most significant one of the day.  Children and parents enter the school with multiple needs and feelings.  There can be enthusiasm, excitement, anxiety, sadness, confusion and frustration – just to name a few.  Teachers see their role at this time as facilitators of the morning transition.  We make ourselves available to hold a child during a tearful or joyful good-bye, receive and transfer information from and to parents, reassure everyone that things will be okay, and help children connect with activities, materials and each other when they are ready.  Parents tend to feel more comfortable going off to start their day once their children are engaged in an activity.  On the other hand, most children are preoccupied with the process of transitioning from home and parents to school and teachers. They are really not ready to begin something until the transition is complete. Once the parent has driven away, they are ready to look around and spend some time thinking about where they want to start.  

Please speak with teachers if you would like support with your morning transition.

END OF DAY–

Friends’n Fun’s day has several schedule options. Teachers plan a variety of experiences for the groups of children who are scheduled for specific time frames. It can be confusing to all if there is an unrequested time overlap. Please help us with this by picking up your child at your scheduled end of day. If you would like to add to your schedule speak with Janet or Jane and we can plan for your child’s participation.

BITS & PIECES:

HEALTH FORMS – The State of Colorado requires us to have a recent physical for each child at FnF.  This physical must be updated annually.   Jane will let you know if you are missing any paperwork and when it needs to be updated.  

PERMISSION FORM– Licensing requires the permissions page of your child’s paperwork to be initialed and dated annually.  Jane will catch you to have you sign/date the permission form for this year.

INFORMATION CHANGES – Jane will be asking returning families to review their child’s enrollment forms and update any changes to: address, phone numbers, employment (and that contact information), emergency contact, physician, insurance.  If any of those things change during the year, please let us know so that we have current/correct information.

MEDICATIONS – A form  MUST be completed by your doctor each time he/she prescribes ANY medications to be given to your child while in our care.  This includes prescriptions and over the counter meds.  Please ask Jane or Janet for the medications form and have your physician complete this form and return to school with the medication(s), as we will not be able to administer any medications without it.   Please note that we are not allowed to administer any homeopathic medications/remedies. THANKS!

WATER BOTTLES

Our nurse consultant, who keeps us up to date on so many things and helps make sure we’re on top of current information regarding children’s health, has recommended that we do not allow water bottles.  Water bottles left in the cubbies, or even the refrigerator, are tempting to many children.  There is a chance a child may take a drink from someone else’s water bottle and this can lead to spread of germs. Some people may also add something to their children’s water bottle that may be unsafe for another child to have (examples: vitamins; fruit juices to which other children may be allergic).  Children have ready access to our water fountain whenever they need a drink and we work with the children on the best way to drink from the water fountain and sanitize it several times a day. Thank you for your help in trying to contain the spread of germs.

BACKPACKS Due to limited space in our cubby area – especially when coat season is upon us – we ask that you put a change of clothes  and any other needs in your child’s cubby box instead of leaving backpacks. We know backpacks are fun but we just don’t have enough room! Thank You!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mark your calendars and watch the Parent Board for more specifics regarding these dates.

Saturday Morning Sept 7    PARENT-TEACHER FALL CONFERENCEWatch the Parent Bulletin Board for a sign-up sheet to schedule a 15 minute Fall conference. We like to touch base with all of you early in the year to help us better support your child’s interests and needs as well as answer any further questions you might have after being at FnF for a few weeks.

Wednesday Sept. 11     FALL POTLUCK – LaMont Does Park – See notice on Parent Board

SATURDAY Nov. 23    FAMILY BRANCH CELEBRATION We will post more information closer to the event time!

CLASS LIST WITH CONTACT INFORMATION – we are working on this and will make sure everyone has a copy once it’s ready!

FRIENDS ‘N FUN SCHOOL CLOSINGS FOR 2019 -2020

September 2, 2019                   Labor Day

November 28 – 29, 2019                    Thanksgiving

December 23-31 & January 1          Winter Break (reopen Wed, Jan. 2nd)

January 20, 2020               Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

February 17, 2020                              President’s Day

March 25 – 26 – 27, 2020                    Spring Break

May 25, 2020                                   Memorial Day

Fall Potluck    Wed, Sept 11, 2019           6:00 – 7:30pm

Fall Conferences  Sat, Sept 7           Morning – times TBA

Tradition Branches Gathering                 Sat, Nov. 23rd  1:00 – 3:00pm

Mother’s Day Tea                             Wed/Thur  May 6th & 7th  11:00am

Please watch Channel 9 News for notices of school closings or late opening times on days of extreme snow.  If you can, check Channel 9 News online for the most current updates, as the television has a delay time from when we called.  We will also post closures on the “Latest & Greatest” page on our website and our Facebook page: 

www.friendsnfunchildrenscenter.com

www.facebook.com/FriendsnFunChildrensCenterInc

Phone numbers – If something should come up during off school hours call:   Janet or Jane at their numbers on the class list you will be receiving.

“THE HUNDRED LANGUAGES OF CHILDREN”

Friends ‘n Fun has pursued the study of the internationally renowned philosophy of early childhood education that has been cultivated over the past 50 years in the Reggio Emilia community in northern Italy.  We continually integrate this philosophy with our own- weaving them together to beautifully and holistically address the needs of our own unique community.  There is so much to learn.

*******************************Welcome to Friends ‘n Fun.  We hope you enjoy your journey with us.  Janet, Jane, Katey  & Rebecca

Dear Parents,

We know June has flown by at the speed of light, but we would still like to welcome all of our families – new, continuing, and returning- who have joined us for our Summer Session!  We have such a wonderful group of children! A new mix of children always invigorates us with the possibilities of fresh interests, talents, and friendships. 

As you already know a past parent, Early Childhood Educator and familiar face – Rebecca Franklin – has joined our Summer TeachingTeam! We are thrilled to get to spend time with her this Summer! 

We are excited as we plan for the upcoming summer months. Teachers enjoy the change in the curriculum format for the summer, as we move from Small Groups to Centers. This style makes it easier for children to come in and out of activities without feeling like they missed something when they are away for vacation trips!  Preparing activity centers for in-depth exploration based on common interests presents opportunities for new creative energy and limitless ideas. 

We have kicked off our Summer Fun with a focus on exploring Rocks, Sand and Water. We have weighed, measured, sorted and categorized rocks. We have created rock designs in sand and have even “made” our own rocks (imbedding a surprise object inside) and are waiting for them to dry out enough to crack open! Each of us selected a rock “friend”! These special friends were lovingly painted by their human friends. Cardboard houses were created for them and a “Friend Village” arranged for “Rock Friend” play. 

As the summer weather has finally started to warm up, this week we are shifting to more experiences with water. We will soon be adopting new fish for our vacant aquarium so you may see some “fishy” business around here as we weave new fish into our water experiences. 

We talked with the children before outlining thoughts for our Summer activities and per their suggestions next up will be Mixing Potions!

It is always fun to watch and see how doing one thing sparks an idea or suggestion for something else.  We will continue to watch and listen to see what other interests children are talking about during their play that might guide us on our adventures and explorations this summer.   

We may take an occasional walk around the block or head to the rock park 5 blocks east of us on Simpson Street for a morning of outdoor activities.  We will always communicate with you to let you know if we will be planning to leave the building! 

We hope you enjoy your summer with us.

~ Janet, Jane, Katey & Rebecca

SUNSCREEN  –

Please apply sunscreen to 

children before they arrive at school. 

We have sunscreen and will reapply 

for children who stay after lunch.  We

use Banana Boat #50. 

Father’s Day “Breakfast Cafe”

Thanks to all of the important men who could join us for our annual Father’s Day event!! It was wonderful to share a special breakfast with you!

Tornado Emergency Plans

We have emergency plans posted at the front door.  Should there be a tornado watch, where we are asked to seek shelter, we will take the children downstairs to our cellar where we have blankets, flashlights, water and stuffed animals.  You might need to have our cell phone numbers in case of such an emergency.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO SIGN YOUR CHILD IN & OUT EACH DAY IN THE ATTENDANCE NOTEBOOK!!!!

______________________________________________________

IMPORTANT DATES

Thursday, July 4th Closed for Holiday 

AUGUST 15/16 Last days of Summer Session

AUGUST 19 – 23            Friends ‘n Fun closed for cleaning, sprucing, prep and planning for new school year.                                     

AUGUST 26/28           Beginning of Fall Session

___________________________________________________________________

Vacation Schedules

If you haven’t already, please let us know your vacation schedules. This will help us let children know when their special friends will return to school!

Dear Parents,

Spring has sprung!  The landscape is greening up with pops of color waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.   My, how the children have all grown this school year – in so many ways beyond physically!  We love that we get to be a part of this with you.  Thank you for sharing your children with us.  We are honored that you have all been a part of Friends ‘n Fun this year. 

FOREST ANIMALS

 All of the forest animals – in all their forms – have moved on to their new habitats.  Although we do still hear a lot about those animals!  We had an array of venues for discovery and exploration while we found out more about the different animals that each child was interested in.  There were: stuffed animals, costumes, masks, stories (individual and group collaboration), habitats, and footprint comparisons, to name a few.  Each small group put together a presentation to share their findings with each other as a culminating experience to demonstrate our new knowledge.  Costumes were shown off – along with some fun and interesting facts; stories were turned into movies or books; information about where animal home; and costumed “animals” responded to questions with the sounds their animal makes if a fact that was shared was an attribute of their animal.  It’s always fun to share with friends the things that each group has been delving into.

 Our next adventure is in full swing! MYSTERIES are tickling our imaginations and have everyone looking for mysteries and clues to solve them.  We are beginning to build our detective kits and exercise our power of deduction and observation.  We are starting to hear, “It’s a mystery!” in response to a question…even if it’s wondering where a friend is within the school.  

Studio Discovery Fridays have been spent exploring: Domino Effect, Chain Reaction, and Rube Goldberg contraptions.  We have worked individually and collectively exploring angles, speed, direction, problem solving, collaboration, listening to others ideas and giving them a go to see if it will work….and if it doesn’t, what else could we try?  We always have so much fun in Studio.  

We, as teachers, continue to be inspired by what is interesting and exciting to the children.  They have led us on some amazing journeys this year!

PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD:  It doesn’t happen very often, but this year we have more kids moving on to kindergarten than usual.  As a result, we have more openings for fall than is typical.  Please help spread the word that we DO still have openings for Fall 2019.  

This newsletter has a lot of information and dates for upcoming events!  Keep reading for more news and dates!!!!

FRIENDS’N FUN’S ANNUAL MOTHER’S DAY TEA

CALLING ALL MOMS!!!!

Wednesday May 8th and Thursday May 9th

Please be sure to attend this special event! Your child will be at your “beck and call” as he or she attends to your every need during our Mother’s Day Tea Party. Your child should arrive at school at their regular time so we can prepare for the school’s magical transformation. You are invited to return at 11:00 to enjoy tea and treats served to you by your children. Be ready to shed a tear or two!

Due to our limited space, and the nature of this special celebration, siblings or other family members will not be able to attend. If you are unable to come, a substitute would help your child join the celebration.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE SPECIAL DATES IN THIS NEWSLETTER AND MARK THEM ON YOUR CALENDARS…..

IMPORTANT DATES – SPRING & SUMMER 2019

May 8 and 9  (Wed/Thur)    Mother’s Day Tea – 11:00 – 12:00

                                              (depending on your child’s school schedule)

May TBD                     End of Year Potluck Picnic  6:00pm to 7:30pm 

                                             at LaMont Does Park

EVERYONE: Main Dish to share

AND

Last name starts with A-M:Salad

Last name starts with N-Z: Dessert

May TBD                    Parent Teacher Conferences 

Conference sign up sheets will be posted in May.

May 27 (Mon)             Memorial Day  School closed

May 30/ 31                  Last Day of School 

June 3/4                        First Day of Summer Session

                                  Summer session runs from June 3rd through August 16th

July 4     Fourth of July Holiday  School closed

Aug 15/16               Last days of Summer Session

August 19-23                FnF Closed for Children

                      Teachers will be cleaning, organizing and planning for Fall 2019

August 26/27                  Fall Session Begins

Due to an unusually high number of children moving on to kindergarten in the fall, we have more openings than we usually do. Please give us a call to schedule a visit and see if we are a good fit for your family.

As you may have heard, there is a winter storm warning in effect beginning mid-morning on Wednesday.  As a result, BVSD has canceled school for tomorrow.

While our policy is to close when BVSD closes, we are not completely certain how, or when, this storm will present in our area.  

Janet and Jane decided that we can plan to have FnF open from 8:00 am – noon if you need.  

If we find the storm has begun earlier than anticipated, we may decide it’s safest to cancel and will let you know as soon as possible.

If you know whether your child(ren) will be at FnF tomorrow or not, please email to let us know.  

Thanks for your patience as we try to determine the safest course for tomorrow.

Jane, Janet, Katey & Jamie

Dear Parents,

    The hustle bustle of the Holiday season is now behind us and we are already well into January 2019! 

   We kicked off the Holiday season with our annual Family Branch celebration the weekend before Thanksgiving. We then attached your leaves of gratitude onto our Tree of Thanks. We are so grateful to all of you for sharing your family’s words and wishes and photos and creations as we enjoy them fluttering in the breeze on our maple tree and dangling above us on the beautiful hanging branches!! 

    December also brings a visit from one of our past parents and long time friend Bruce Kirschner, whose adult sons Paul and Sam attended Friends’n Fun as preschoolers. Each year he comes to school to celebrate Hanukkah with us.  Bruce has been doing this with us for over 20 years now!  He engages the children with his warm and fun personality and is always memorable. He is a treasure!

    Did you happen to notice that throughout November and December nature invited itself indoors as forests grew and grew and grew here and there in school? The children worked with focus, enthusiasm and creativity as each layer of the forest spaces created in the dress up room and the carpet area display wall began to emerge and take shape day by day. Katey’s and Jamie’s small groups worked together to transform the display wall and Jane’s and Janet’s small groups combined their efforts to transform the dress up room. Both sets of children in the small groups added to the forests each day 

(M/W/F and T/Th). Looking to see what surprise addition appeared on the next day of school became a delightful part of the process! 

  Now that the habitat for woodland creatures is ready for occupancy it is time to get down to the next order of business – becoming and studying woodland creatures! We are choosing our favorites, creating “stuffies” and puppets and will eventually embody our animals with costumes as we learn about their activities, behaviors and habits. Be on the alert for this next layer as the Woodland Creature study continues to evolve!

    We had an amazing time in Studio Discovery with our focus on Ephemeral Art. The children explored many materials, objects and elements as they created beautiful images each week that dazzled our eyes and senses in the moment and then vanished from view! 

This past Friday we began a new focus – The Domino Effect! We will explore the fun and engineering of chain reactions and cause and effect – initially with various dominos and then, with experience, possibly gain the skill to create some simple Rube Goldberg Machines!

SHARE-A-GIFT

The people at Share-a-Gift tell us that each year Friends ‘n Fun parents are one of the most generous group of contributors to their program.  This year our box was filled to overflowing………and our box was bigger than it was last year! 

Here is an excerpt from a follow up email sent by the Director of Share-aGift!

  Many thanks to FnF families!!!

Dear Preschools,

A big THANK YOU from Share-A-Gift for your school’s support this year!!  We have finally finished compiling our information and, due to your generosity, we were able to brighten the holidays for 568 families totaling 1491 kids!  That’s a lot of holiday cheer!

                                                                               Thanks,                                        

  Cathy Conery                                                                                  Share-a-Gift

NOTE CARD FUNDRAISER!!!!!!

Thanks to all of you for your notecard orders. Your contributions raised $1390.  We hope that you and your families enjoy the amazing artwork created by your children. Thank you so much for your continued support and generosity!

SNOWY WEATHER!!!!

We will notify 9 News if we will be closed due to bad winter weather. It sometimes takes awhile for schools to be listed on television but a listing pops up pretty quickly on their website, so check there as well. We will also post closures on our Facebook page and on our website on the Latest & Greatest page.  If you are not sure you are welcome to call Jane or Janet .

VALENTINE’S DAY– 

Your children are invited to bring valentines for their friends on Wednesday, February 13th or Thursday the 14th.  

For children of preschool age it is best to just have them write their names on the cards and leave the envelopes blank.  You can buy pre-packaged valentines or join them in making their own creations.

Bring 22 cards for the Wednesday group and 22 cards for the Thursday group.

A Valentine snack sign up will be posted on the parent bulletin board closer to time.

ENROLLMENT FORMS

You will soon be receiving enrollment request forms for the upcoming Summer and Fall. We know that it is a challenge to think about this right after the first of the year but unfortunately all of the other organizations and schools enroll at this time and many people from the waitlist are wanting information.

Keep on the lookout for the request forms and thank you in advance for help!! 

UPCOMING DATES TO BE AWARE OF:

Please mark your calendars and note the following dates.

Monday, January 21: Martin Luther King Day – Friends’n Fun CLOSED

 Wednesday/Thursday, February 13th & 14th: Valentine’s Day

 Monday, February 18th: President’s Day – Friends ‘n Fun CLOSED

Wednesday-Friday, March 27, 28, 29: Spring Break – Friends ‘n Fun CLOSED

Wednesday/Thursday, May 8th and 9th: Mother’s Day Tea

Monday, May 27th: CLOSED Memorial Day

Thursday/ Friday, May 30th & 31st:  Last days of school

Dear Parents,

We have had such a lovely beginning to our school year!

We started our year with The Best Part of Me, by Wendy Ewald, as the inspiration in guiding us as we journeyed into the new school year together.  In each of the small groups, we began asking the children “What is the best part of you?”  and “What do you like about your self/your body/your elbow, etc.?”  Some children were immediately able to identify what they like about themselves, while others took the opportunity to explore the different parts of their bodies and what they can do with each of those parts. 

We hope you had a chance to enjoy the display of posters and the book that the groups made as they reflected on and explored what they found to be the best part(s) of themselves.  We all delighted in seeing how each of the children expressed themselves in this inquiry.

And you probably could not miss the increase in our enrollment as duplicates of the children popped up on our walls!  We had fun with body tracing, adding hair and clothes, some accessories, and final quotes about what the children like about themselves.  Children would look to find their friends on the walls and ask about others they are not familiar with.  One younger sibling asked his mom to read to him the words  on the kids as he pointed them out.

Our next journey will be into the Forest and the Woodland Creatures that live there.  Soon parts of our school will begin to transform as groups work together to create forest-like environments.  We know that other exciting ideas will emerge as we begin to delve into the forest together.

Studio Discovery Fridays have been all about EPHEMERAL ART!  Just when we think we might be wrapping up and ready for a different focus in Studio, we think of more ways to explore and experience this art form.  We aren’t finished yet!

PLEASE be sure to read the newsletter carefully and mark your calendar for some exciting upcoming events 

_____________________________________________________________________________

                            PLEASE be sure to read the newsletter carefully and mark your calendar for some exciting upcoming events 

_____________________________________________________________________________

ANNUAL TREE OF THANKS – BY FRIENDS ‘n FUN FAMILIES –

We invite you to join us in adorning a leaf to attach to the tree in our front yard.  We will be sending home paper leaves and a few fun things to embellish them with.  We would like you to work with your child and family to think about whom in your family, friends, neighbors and/or people in the community you are grateful to and why.  Then please write a short note of thanks explaining this on the leaf,  let the children decorate it, and then cover it (front & back) with the contact paper.  Make sure your child’d name is on the leaf! Teachers will have ribbon at school for you to use to tie the leaves onto a wire we will have affixed to the tree.  We are in the hopes that you and your children will take time to read the collection of leaves of thanks on our tree.  We also hope that the community of walkers-by in Lafayette might see and learn more about us as a community at Friends ‘n Fun.

SNOW DAYS

It’s that time of year again.  Our general rule of thumb is that if BVSD closes for weather, we likely will as well.  We list closure, or late start, in a few different places when that happens.  Check these when in doubt:     

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsnFunChildrensCenterInc/  – Facebook

www.friendsnfunchildrenscenter.com – FnF Website on “Latest & Greatest” page

http://www.9news.com  – Channel 9 News (closings/late starts are listed on 

                                           website more quickly than TV streaming list)

We will make the decision to close based on the safety of all – children, parents and community.  If you have questions on snow days please call Janet or Jane.  We’ll do our best to keep you informed.  Thank you.

FAMILY TRADITIONS

The holiday season is upon us.  It all begins with Halloween (from the children’s perspective) and rolls into Diwali, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Las Posadas, Christmas, multiple New Years’, and many other wonderful celebrations that honor special cultural and religious traditions.  We join together with family and friends to enjoy this season.

We treasure all of the unique and distinctive differences and unifying similarities that make up our school community.  This holiday season we would like to recognize all of our families.

On Saturday, Nov.17th from 1:00-3:00 we have once again reserved the John M. Taylor Conference Center at Imagine!, 1665 Coal Creek Drive, Lafayette (there are two Imagine! buildings – make sure you look for the Coal Creek address!).   We would like to invite your family to join us to decorate a tree branch with photographs and small objects that represent special things about your family.  We will provide an assortment of yarns, beads, wire, buttons, jewels, etc. – and a tree branch for each of you.  You can bring photographs, small objects and your wonderful children.  We will work together at Imagine! to create these beautiful branches.  We will then bring them back to school to display for all to enjoy.  The things you bring to embellish the branch should represent your family’s interests (biking, pets, skiing, etc.), as well as special celebrations.

We hope you can attend this gathering to get to know each other and share in an activity with your children to celebrate this special time of year. Drop by anytime between 1 and 3 and spend as much time as works for you that day.

FUNDRAISER 

In December we will create note cards using your child’s artwork – easel paintings, watercolor paintings, self-portraits, collages, etc.  Packages of your child’s note cards, with envelopes, will be available to you at $12.00 per package of 8.  In the past families have sent them to grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc. for holiday gifts.  The money raised goes to help purchase art supplies at Friends ‘n Fun.  Watch the parent bulletin board for additional details.

This is our ONLY fundraiser of the year and it typically brings us about $1000 for use in our supply budget. We hope you can support us and enjoy this celebration of your children’s efforts. Thank you for your continued support of our small program.

Share-a-Gift

We are proud to be participating in Share-a-Gift again this year. Share-a-Gift is an annual, all-volunteer, non-profit toy collection and distribution holiday project encompassing the Boulder Valley school area. Last  year over 600 households (1600 boys and girls, ages birth to 14) received these community donations. To be successful, Share-a-Gift needs thousands of high quality, new and used toys, games, books, and puzzles. School collections are the biggest source of toys for Share-a-Gift. This collection allows children to meaningfully participate in gift giving by sharing their own gently used or new toys with less fortunate children in Boulder county. Toys may be dropped off in the Share-a-Gift box in our school beginning the Monday after Thanksgiving, November 26th, through Wednesday, December 12th.   Friends ‘n Fun families have been one of their biggest donors in the past.  Let’s see what we can do to continue this tradition of giving!

IMPORTANT DATES !!!!!!!!!!!

Nov. 15-16 – Tree of Thanks leaves to be sent home.  Return to us anytime from the 19th on, and help your child attach them to our tree so our neighborhood community can enjoy.

Nov. 17 – FnF Family Traditions Workshop –

                          Imagine! John M. Taylor Conference Center

                          1665 Coal Creek Drive, Lafayette

                         1:00 – 3:00 PM

Nov. 22-23 – CLOSED for Thanksgiving Holiday

Dec. 24, 2018 –  Jan. 1, 2019     – FnF Closed.

                         We will be closed from Monday, Dec. 24th

                         through Tuesday, January 1st. We will reopen on 

                         Wednesday, January 2, 2019.

Dear Parents,

Welcome to a new year at Friends ‘n Fun.  Our mission is to help you to provide your child with experiences that are filled with adventure, exploration and discovery.  We want to be in collaboration with you as we work together to support your child as he/she grows and develops during these exciting early years of childhood. We encourage you to let us know of any concerns or questions that you may have throughout the school year.

Teachers at FnF realize that parents know their children better than anyone.  It is you who have seen them smile their first smile; it is you who celebrated their first words and first steps; it is you who have nursed them through illness and accidents, and it is you who continue to encourage, support, comfort and love them. Thank you for sharing your children with us and know that we take the trust you have extended us very seriously.

          Please always feel free to “chat” with us about the day’s events.

              We are all looking forward to an exciting year and all of the journeys ahead of us.

This newsletter has a lot of information regarding upcoming events and getting started in our program.  PLEASE take time to read it and make notes on your own family’s calendar so that your family does not miss out on important  dates, etc.

September’s Journey –

The beginning of a new school year presents us with an opportunity to see ourselves not only as individuals but also as a part of something bigger: a family, a school setting, a community. 

“A child is born a first time, and then, through the long and difficult process of constructing his identity, it is as if he is born again.  In this process, he gives himself a face, a body, gestures, movement, speech, thought, feelings, imagination, fantasy; in short, the awareness of being and the means of expressing his “me-ness” which is absolutely essential for becoming autonomous and distinguishing ourselves from other people and things – people and things we live and interact with and from which, little by little, we draw most of the raw material with which we create our own identity.  To recognize ourselves and to be recognized.  But a child’s most sought-after goal is to recognize himself in others, and to find in others (objects and the natural world as well) parts of himself.”

                                                                                              ~ Loris Malaguzzi

When beginning the process of planning for the start of our new school year we stumbled across the book The Best Part of Me by Wendy Ewald. Wendy Ewald is an award winning photographer who asked several children the question “What is the best part of you?” She combined beautiful black and white photographs and the children’s responses to create an amazing book. We were inspired by her work and decided to begin our year with the children by evolving this idea. We intend to craft experiences that encourage the children to look at themselves through the lens of physical capabilities, senses, thoughts and emotions.

The book itself is no longer available and there is only ONE in our local Library Consortium and we are third on the wait list to have a chance at it! Nevertheless we will move forward with it’s beautiful concept! You can take a peek at it online to view our inspiration.

  We look forward to the journey start and will be excited to see how it grows and evolves! Stay tuned……………………………!

STUDIO DISCOVERY FRIDAYS kick off this upcoming Friday August 31st with a an exploration of Ephemeral Art – creating impermanent beauty that is inspired in the moment by various materials and/or objects.  We will use something different each Friday to create with – photograph the children’s work – and then disassemble the creations to re-form another day!! We hope to use objects from, nature, color, light and shadow – just to name a few!

A NEW WAY OF TELLING THE STORY………….

The teachers begin their new school year the week before all of the children flow through our doors.  We clean and organize and return everything to its proper place in anticipation of a fresh start. We also develop three days of staff development and planning work. Each year we talk about an element of our program that we want to focus on for enhancement, re-invention or a closer and deeper look. This year we came together around focusing on a new way to communicate about the children’s “story” of growth, development and experience through documentation and portfolio. It will be somewhat of an experimental year for us because we really want to re-invent the portfolios in a way that tells a deeper story of the child. This re-invention may result in a slimmer volume, but hopefully one that tells a deeper story about how the children are making meaning of the world around them.

In conjunction with this we have the goal of creating more visible documentation panels that also represent a deeper “story” regarding process and child development.

Please bear with us as we work through our re-invention

Greetings & Goodbyes –

Entering the school environment is a transition time and the most significant one of the day.  Children and parents enter the school with multiple needs and feelings.  There can be enthusiasm, excitement, anxiety, sadness, confusion and frustration – just to name a few.  Teachers see their role at this time as facilitators of the morning transition.  We make ourselves available to hold a child during a tearful or joyful good-bye, receive and transfer information from and to parents, reassure everyone that things will be okay, and help children connect with activities, materials and each other when they are ready.  Parents tend to feel more comfortable going off to start their day once their children are engaged in an activity.  On the other hand, most children are preoccupied with the process of transitioning from home and parents to school and teachers. They are really not ready to begin something until the transition is complete. Once the parent has driven away, they are ready to look around and spend some time thinking about where they want to start. 

Please speak with teachers if you would like support with your morning transition.

END OF DAY

Friends’n Fun’s day has several schedule options. Teachers plan a variety of experiences for the groups of children who are scheduled for specific time frames. It can be confusing to all if there is an unrequested time overlap. Please help us with this by picking up your child at your scheduled end of day. If you would like to add to your schedule speak with Janet or Jane and we can plan for your child’s participation.

BITS & PIECES

HEALTH FORMS – The State of Colorado requires us to have a recent physical for each child at FnF.  This physical must be updated annually.   Jane will let you know if you are missing any paperwork and when it needs to be updated. 

PERMISSION FORM– Licensing requires the permissions page of your child’s paperwork to be initialed and dated annually.  We will have new forms for everyone to sign this year since we had a change to our sunscreen policy.

INFORMATION CHANGES – Jane will be asking returning families to review their child’s enrollment forms and update any changes to: address, phone numbers, employment (and that contact information), emergency contact, physician, insurance.  If any of those things change during the year, please let us know so that we have current/correct information.

MEDICATIONS – A form  MUST be completed by your doctor each time he/she prescribes ANY medications to be given to your child while in our care.  This includes prescriptions and over the counter meds.  Please ask Jane or Janet for the medications form and have your physician complete this form and return to school with the medication(s), as we will not be able to administer any medications without it.   Please note that we are not allowed to administer any homeopathic medications/remedies. THANKS!

WATER BOTTLES

Our nurse consultant, who keeps us up to date on so many things and helps make sure we’re on top of current information regarding children’s health, has recommended that we do not allow water bottles.  Water bottles left in the cubbies, or even the refrigerator, are tempting to many children.  There is a chance a child may take a drink from someone else’s water bottle and this can lead to spread of germs. Some people may also add something to their children’s water bottle that may be unsafe for another child to have (examples: vitamins; fruit juices to which other children may be allergic).  Children have ready access to our water fountain whenever they need a drink and we work with the children on the best way to drink from the water fountain and sanitize it several times a day. Thank you for your help in trying to contain the spread of germs.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mark your calendars and watch the Parent Board for more specifics regarding these dates.

Wednesday Sept. 12     FALL POTLUCK – LaMont Dos Park – See notice on Parent Board

Wednesday Sept 19     (4:00 – 7:00) PARENT-TEACHER FALL CONFERENCES  Watch the Parent Bulletin Board for a sign-up sheet to schedule a 15 minute Fall conference. We like to touch base with all of you early in the year to help us better support your child’s interests and needs as well as answer any further questions you might have after being at FnF for a few weeks.

SATURDAY Nov. 17    FAMILY BRANCH CELEBRATION                                           We will post more information closer to the event time!

FRIENDS ‘N FUN SCHOOL CLOSINGS FOR 2018 -2019

September 3, 2018                    Labor Day

November 22 – 23, 2018                     Thanksgiving

December 24-31 & January 1    Winter Break (reopen Wed, Jan. 2nd)

January 21, 2019               Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

February 18, 2019                             President’s Day

March 27 – 28 – 29, 2019                   Spring Break

May 27, 2019                                   Memorial Day

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Please watch Channel 9 News for notices of school closings or late

opening times on days of extreme snow.  If you can, check Channel 9

News online for the most current updates, as the television has a

delay time from when we called.  We will also post closures on the

“Latest & Greatest” page on our website and our Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/FriendsnFunChildrensCenterInc

June has flown by and we are already skipping along through July!

We are finishing up our fun with Bridges and Towers this week and ready to begin our next adventure! We spent lots of time experimenting with different materials to build various bridges and towers and have culminated our experience with building versions of our own to take home. Spliced in the middle –  don’t forget the fun we had in the sandbox where we dug a moat, filled it with water and crossed over a bridge to climb a Castle tower and survey the land!

   Next week we will have some fun with animal “stuffies and stories” as we begin planning for animal mask making.

      Our Summer Fun continues……………………..!!!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

ALERT!

After consulting with our school nurse, we have decided to change our sunscreen policy. We are requesting that families apply sunscreen right before your child arrives at school and then we will reapply if your child is here for lunch and later. If you happen to forget as we are adjusting to this change you are welcome to use our sunscreen at drop off time.

  Thank You!!!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Sadly, we are entering our last few weeks with Kara before she and her husband begin their new adventure in Spain. Friday July27th will be her last day. If you would like to stop by that Friday to say adios and wish her well we will be having Popsicles on the Playground. Drop by anytime between 2:30 and 4:00.

Dear Parents,

Spring has sprung!  The landscape is greening up with pops of color waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.   My, how the children have all grown this school year – in so many ways beyond physically!  We love that we get to be a part of this with you.  Thank you for sharing your children with us.  We are honored that you have all been a part of Friends ‘n Fun this year.

“MEOW! MEOW!”

All of the cats and kittens have now gone to new homes – as you well know! We had such fun purring and prowling and pouncing! Decked out in customized “cat wear,” we spent days and days exploring the feline side of ourselves. The children had such fun transforming into cats as they went about their morning play. Cats were drawing, painting, building. Cats were rolling out play dough, caring for baby dolls and assembling puzzles. Cats were living in the Tree House! But it didn’t stop there! Once we “became” cats we needed to learn more about what it meant to be a cat. The small groups delved into the study of different aspects of cats – cat behavior, cat feelings, cat sounds and the way cat’s bodies work. Each small group put together a presentation to share their findings with each other. Posters, a full body cat model, recorded cat sounds listening games, photographs demonstrating how cat’s look when they are having a variety of feelings and even a filmed documentary of cat behavior were created to demonstrate our new knowledge!

Our next adventure is in full swing! Outer Space and our Solar System are tickling our imaginations and igniting our “need to know” about the wonders of the Universe! Stars and planets and meteors and orbits and black holes and dwarf planets and the Sun and our Moon are all swirling and twirling around in our brains as we journey into Space!

Studio Discovery Fridays have also begun a new focus – we are grounded on planet Earth as we embrace Spring and learn about gardening!

We, as teachers, continue to be inspired by what is interesting and exciting to the children.  They have led us on some amazing journeys this year!

This newsletter has lots of dates for and information about upcoming events!  Keep reading for more news and dates!!!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

FRIENDS ’N FUN’S ANNUAL

MOTHER’S DAY TEA

CALLING ALL MOMS!!!!

Wednesday May 9th and Thursday May 10th

Please be sure to attend this special event! Your child will be at your “beck and call” as he or she attends to your every need during our Mother’s Day Tea Party. Your child should arrive at school at their regular time so we can prepare for the school’s magical transformation. You are invited to return at 11:00 to enjoy tea and treats served to you by your children. Be ready to shed a tear or two!

Due to our limited space and the nature of this special celebration, siblings or other family members will not be able to attend. If you are unable to come, a substitute would help your child join the celebration.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE SPECIAL DATES IN THIS NEWSLETTER AND MARK THEM ON YOUR CALENDARS…..

IMPORTANT DATES – SPRING & SUMMER 2018

May 9 and 10  (Wed/Thur)    Mother’s Day Tea – 11:00 – 12:00                              (depending on your child’s school schedule)

May 23 (Wed)                 End of Year Potluck Picnic  6:00pm to 7:30pm

                                        at LaMont Does Park

EVERYONE: Main Dish to share

AND

Last name starts with A-M:Salad

Last name starts with N-Z: Dessert

May 29/30/31 (Tue/Wed/Thur)         Parent Teacher Conferences                        Conferences will be held Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday afternoons/early evening. Conference sign up sheets will be posted in May.

May 30/ 31 (Fri)               Last Day of School

May 28 (Mon)       Memorial Day  School closed

June 1st                 No school for children

June 4/5                        First Day of Summer Session                                                      Summer session runs from June 4th through August 17th

July 4     Fourth of July Holiday  School closed

Aug 16/17               Last days of Summer Session

August 20-24                FnF Closed for Children                                                                For cleaning, organizing and planning for Fall 2018

August 27/28                  Fall Session Begins

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

January 2018

Dear Parents,

   January 2018 rolled in so fast that it is now nearly February!

    We kicked off the Holiday season a bit earlier this year by gathering together for the Family Branch celebration on the weekend before Thanksgiving. We had an amazing turnout and want to thank everyone for creating a branch.  We have so enjoyed having each family’s photos and creations dangling above us on the beautiful hanging branches! It is one of our favorite events, so thank you for sharing your time and families with us!

     Also in December, our past parent and long time friend Bruce Kirschner, whose adult sons Paul and Sam attended Friends’n Fun as preschoolers, came to school to celebrate Hanukkah with us.  Bruce has been doing this with us for over 20 years now!  He engages the children with his warm and fun personality and is always memorable. 

    The Train study has finally pulled into the Station following a long and joyful journey! We all had so much fun! We worked together to build and decorate a L …O…N…G  cardboard train that had so many train cars we could all get in it at the same time! The children enjoyed hours and hours of delightful pretend play as they climbed aboard and let their imaginations run wild.

  We sang lots of new and old train songs. One of the favorites being, “Get a Ticket, Ticket, Ticket For the Train!” This song evolved into a combination train song and extreme weather/ natural disaster report!

The small groups all worked on projects resulting in toy trains and train tracks. Some added towns and scenery for interest as the trains traveled along. Some even had an axel system and coupling solution that allowed the trains to really roll down the tracks. Katey and Janet’s MW group worked together for weeks to create a huge train “mini-world” that once it was completed and used, was gifted to the whole school as another fun way to enjoy train play. It included a Train Station, passenger parking garage, houses and buildings, tunnels, mountains and trees, rivers and lakes, farm animals grazing in the fields and an operable gated train crossing!

We are now shifting to a new area of interest……new because we haven’t explored it as an area of focus before………but definitely NOT new to the pretend play of preschoolers…….CATS! There is always prowling and purring going on around here (year after year) so the teachers asked the children if they would be interested in spending some time exploring Cats. Of course most of them said yes! We did have a couple of “hisses” but those have now been transformed into “purrs.” The children would all like to become “cats” first so we will begin by creating some cat wear and accessories. We will also research factual information about cats and see what we can find out about their behavior and their unique attributes. We will join the children as they explore this topic to see what interests and twists and turns crop up. The teachers are hoping for a bit of theatre as part of the journey…… we will have to wait and see!

    We are a few weeks into the next series for Studio Discovery……COLOR!  Jane and Kara are concocting all kinds of experiences for the children as they explore the magical sensations of this phenomenon of light and visual perception.

     “Color is the place where our brain and the universe meet.”      (artist Paul Klee)

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SHARE-A-GIFT

The people at Share-a-Gift tell us that each year Friends ‘n Fun parents are one of the most generous group of contributors to their program.  This year our box was filled to overflowing 4 separate times…and our box was bigger than it was last year!

Thanks to all of you for your concern for others in need.

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NOTE CARD FUNDRAISER!!!!!!

Thanks to all of you for your notecard orders. Your contributions raised $1450.  We hope that you and your families enjoy the amazing artwork created by your children. Thank you so much for your continued support and generosity!

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SNOWY WEATHER!!!!

We will notify 9 News if we will be closed due to bad winter weather. It sometimes takes awhile for schools to be listed on television but a listing pops up pretty quickly on their website, so check there as well. We will also post closures on our Facebook page and on our website on the Latest & Greatest page.  If you are not sure you are welcome to call Jane or Janet.

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VALENTINE’S DAY–

Your children are invited to bring valentines for their friends on Tuesday, February 13th or Wednesday the 14th.  

For children of preschool age it is best to just have them write their names on the cards and leave the envelopes blank.  You can buy pre-packaged valentines or join them in making their own creations.

                                                  Bring 22 cards for the Monday group

                                                   and 22 cards for the Tuesday group.                                           

A Valentine snack sign up will be posted on the parent bulletin board closer to time.

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ENROLLMENT FORMS

You have received questionnaires asking for your schedule requests for Summer 2018 and Fall 2018.  We appreciate your prompt return of these forms so we can begin our enrollment process.

PLEASE RETURN BY Jan 31st!!

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We are excited to be part of a new initiative being sponsored by

Lafayette’s Waste Reduction Advisory Council! 

The council has provided three businesses on E. Simpson with a TerraCycle box as part of this pilot program.  Friends‘n Fun, East Simpson Coffee Company and HiFi Jones are collection locations for items that cannot be composted or recycled. 

We are starting small with this pilot project and are focusing on collecting BATTERIES and ART SUPPLIES.  Bring your worn out batteries and art supplies (like pens, markers, empty tape dispensers, etc.) to fill our box.  Once it’s full, we’ll send it to TerraCycle where they will sort it and find ways to recycle these materials.    

We will have a small, marked collection container on the driveway side of the school, near the tricycles, for easy drop-off of these items. 

Spread the word and let your neighbors know!

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UPCOMING DATES TO BE AWARE OF:

Please mark your calendars and note the following dates

Tuesday/Wednesday, February 13th & 14th: Valentine’s Day

Monday, February 19th: Presidents Day – Friends ‘n Fun CLOSED

Wednesday-Friday, March 28, 29, 30: Spring Break – Friends ‘n Fun CLOSED

Wednesday/Thursday, May 9th and 10th:Mother’s Day Tea

Monday, May 28th: CLOSED Memorial Day

Wednesday/ Thursday, May 30th & 31st:  Last days of school

Monday June 4th:  First day of summer session

Friends ‘n Fun will be closed on Monday, January 15th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

KINDERGARTEN TIME – FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2018-2019

It’s time to register for kindergarten!  If your child will be 5 years old on or before September 30, 2018 (BVSD)/October 1, 2018 (SVVSD), he/she is eligible for kindergarten beginning in late August of 2018. Parents should begin to consider the school that they want their child to attend.

Many people choose the school that is nearest to their home or within the attendance boundaries.  Neighborhood schools can offer families and children great support and sense of community as children grow through the elementary years.  Both Boulder & St. Vrain Valley School Districts also allow for what is called OPEN ENROLLMENT.  Open Enrollment lets each family choose the school environment that best fits their needs.  Each district and each school may have different criteria and dates.  PLEASE CHECK EACH SCHOOL DISTRICTS WEBSITE FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION!

If you do select a school that is not your child’s home school, you will need to get an open enrollment form from the office of any school; complete the form; get it to the appropriate Open Enrollment Office. There is usually a line at these offices during the last days of enrollment, so we suggest you have your application in earlier than the last date for open enrollment.  It does not matter if your application is in the office on the first or last day of open enrollment, or any date in between.  The system of selection is a lottery system and all applications receive an equal opportunity for being granted permission regardless of when they are submitted.

Moving on to a new school and new educational system is a big step for your family.  Janet and Jane are available to talk with you about this move.  We suggest you visit the schools you might be interested in.  As you visit classes, note how the environment feels.  Pay attention to how children are interacting with one another and how teachers and children interact with one another.  Remember that test scores are not always the most important factor in determining quality in education.  We also suggest that you meet personally with the principal to discuss your concerns and ask questions that might give you more insight to the environment as a whole. Try to select a school that you feel is a good match for your child and your family style and one you can see your family participating in for a number of years.

Schools have a variety of Open House dates, visitation dates, and/or tour dates.  Please call the schools you are interested in to see when they are hosting events to inform prospective parents.  There is usually a publication from the Boulder Daily Camera that informs us of such dates & times.  Again, we are available to assist you in any manner during this enrollment and selection process.  Please talk with us, as you need. 

We realize the importance of supporting children and their families as they transition into and out of our program, so once your school decisions have been made, we are also available to talk with you about activities that we do at school and that you can do as a family to ease the transition between programs.  We also sing a special good-bye song – “We Are Sad To See You Go” – as children move onto their next environments, whatever they may be. We have many other ideas for working together to ease this important transition for your child.

Boulder Valley School District

Enrollment Information for your neighborhood school and open enrollment: 

http://www.bvsd.org/Enrollment/Pages/Enroll.aspx

St. Vrain Valley School District

Enrollment Information for your neighborhood school and open enrollment:

http://svvsd.org/schools/enrollment-registration

Information about schools and scheduled tour times is available through this link from The Daily Camera: 

http://www.dailycamera.com/schoolchoice/ci_31424684/school-choice-2017-2018

Dear Parents,

 We have had such a lovely beginning to our school year!

The children’s book, HELLO, MY NAME IS RUBY,  by Philip C. Stead started us all off as we explored the concept of Making Connections. Ruby’s sweet nature inspired us to get to know each other and make new friends. We looked at the way things we liked to play and do brought us together as we started connecting at school. Some of us made puppets of the story characters, illustrated back drops and performed the story to an eager audience.  Some of us listed favorites such as foods, colors, sports and animals and discovered we had favorites in common with others at school. To culminate making connections with friends and people we each made a self puppet that we “connected”  together with hot glue and displayed on our wall  accompanied by the children’s comments and reflections on how we connect as people.

That was just the beginning! The small groups then began looking at creating connections with toys, puzzles and objects. Including a 65 foot paper chain! We looked at “connectors” such as glue, tape, string, wire and staples. We are now finishing up by exploring the way all kinds of things in the world are connected to each other by how they relate………pirates and pirate ships; socks, shoes and feet; sand, water, sea shells and stones; etc……….We will be completing our Making Connections Study in the next couple of weeks as we wrap up some projects.

Our next journey will invite us to “climb aboard” as we explore TRAINS!!

Studio Discovery Fridays have been all about BALANCE! Katey and Kara will be finishing up this fun and exciting topic of exploration just in time to begin a new topic as our transition to Trains begins.  That topic will be revealed soon!!

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PLEASE be sure to read the newsletter carefully and mark your calendar for some exciting upcoming events 

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Halloween Celebrations

Mon. Oct. 30 & Tues. Oct. 31 We Will be celebrating Halloween in Friends ‘n Fun style.  We want to celebrate one of the kids favorite holidays, and we do it in a way that everyone has fun and feels safe. Costumes can be scary and confusing to some children, so we ask that you keep your child’s costume at home and not bring them to school.  We will have some special games and activities planned for these two days and there will be special snacks provided by some families. 

It is definitely a fun day, and we want it to be safe, fun and enjoyable for everyone.

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ANNUAL TREE OF THANKS – BY FRIENDS ‘n FUN FAMILIES –

We invite you to join us in creating a leaf to attach to the tree in our front yard.  We will be sending home paper leaves and a few fun things to embellish them with.  We would like you to work with your child and family to think about whom in your family, friends, neighbors and/or people in the community you are grateful to and why.  Then please write a short note of thanks explaining this on the leaf,  let the children decorate it, and then cover it (front & back) with the contact paper.  Make sure your child’d name is on the leaf! Teachers will have ribbon at school for you to use to tie the leaves onto a wire we will have affixed to the tree.  We are in the hopes that you and your children will take time to read the collection of leaves of thanks on our tree.  We also hope that the community of walkers by in Lafayette might see and learn more about us as a community at Friends ‘n Fun.

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SNOW DAYS

It’s that time of year again.  Our general rule of thumb is that if BVSD closes for weather, we likely will as well.  We list closure or late start a few different places when that happens.  Check these when in doubt:     

www.friendsnfunchildrenscenter.com – FnF Website on “Latest & Greatest” page

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsnFunChildrensCenterInc/  – Facebook

http://www.9news.com  – Channel 9 News (closings/late starts are listed on 

                                           website more quickly than TV streaming list)

We will make the decision to close based on the safety of all – children, parents and community.  If you have questions on snow days please call Janet or Jane.  We’ll do our best to keep you informed.  Thank you.

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FAMILY TRADITIONS

The holiday season is upon us.  It all begins with Halloween (from the children’s perspective) and rolls into Diwali, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Las Posadas, Christmas, multiple New Years’, and many other wonderful celebrations that honor special cultural and religious traditions.  We join together with family and friends to enjoy this season.

We treasure all of the unique and distinctive differences and unifying similarities that make up our school community.  This holiday season we would like to recognize all of our families.

On Saturday, Nov.18th from 1:00-3:00 we have once again reserved the John M. Taylor Conference Center at Imagine!.   We would like to invite your family to join us to decorate a tree branch with photographs and small objects that represent special things about your family.  We will provide an assortment of yarns, beads, wire, buttons, jewels, etc. – and a tree branch for each of you.  You can bring photographs, small objects and your wonderful children.  We will work together at Imagine! to create these beautiful branches.  We will then bring them back to school to display for all to enjoy.  The things you bring to embellish the branch should represent your family’s interests (biking, pets, skiing, etc.), as well as special celebrations.

We hope you can attend this gathering to get to know each other and share in an activity with your children to celebrate this special time of year. Drop by anytime between 1 and 3 and spend as much time as works for you that day.

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FUNDRAISER 

In December we will create note cards using your child’s artwork – easel paintings, watercolor paintings, self-portraits, collages, etc.  Packages of your child’s note cards, with envelopes, will be available to you at $12.00 per package of 8.  In the past families have sent them to grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc. for holiday gifts.  The money raised goes to help purchase art supplies at Friends ‘n Fun.  Watch the parent bulletin board for additional details.

This is our ONLY fundraiser of the year and it typically brings us about $1000 for use in our supply budget. We hope you can support us and enjoy this celebration of your children’s efforts. Thank you for your continued support of our small program.

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Share-a-Gift

We are proud to be participating in Share-a-Gift again this year. Share-a-Gift is an annual, all-volunteer, non-profit toy collection and distribution holiday project encompassing the Boulder Valley school area. Last  year over 600 households (1600 boys and girls, ages birth to 14) received these community donations. To be successful, Share-a-Gift needs thousands of high quality, new and used toys, games, books, and puzzles. School collections are the biggest source of toys for Share-a-Gift. This collection allows children to meaningfully participate in gift giving by sharing their own gently used or new toys with less fortunate children in Boulder county. Toys may be dropped off in the Share-a-Gift box in our school beginning the Monday after Thanksgiving, November 27th, through Wednesday, December 13th.   Friends ‘n Fun families have been one of their biggest donors in the past.  Let’s see what we can do to continue this tradition of giving!

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IMPORTANT DATES !!!!!!!!!!!

Nov. 16-17 – Tree of Thanks leaves to be sent home.  Return to us anytime from the 21st on, and help your child attach them to our tree so our neighborhood community can enjoy.

Nov. 18 – FnF Family Traditions Workshop –  Imagine! John M. Taylor Conference                       Center  1:00 – 3:00 PM

Nov. 23-24 – CLOSED for Thanksgiving Holiday

Dec. 25 – Dec.29 and Jan 1st 2018    –   FnF Closed.   

                                             We will be closed from Monday, Dec. 25th

                                             through Friday, Dec. 29th and Monday

                                            January 1st. We will reopen on Tuesday January 2, 2018.

Dear Parents,

Welcome to a new year at Friends ‘n Fun.  Our mission is to help you to provide your child with experiences that are filled with adventure, exploration and discovery.  We want to be in collaboration with you as we work together to support your child as he/she grows and develops during these exciting early years of childhood. We encourage you to let us know of any concerns or questions that you may have throughout the school year.

Teachers at FnF realize that parents know their children better than anyone.  It is you who have seen them smile their first smile; it is you who celebrated their first words and first steps; it is you who have nursed them through illness and accidents, and it is you who continue to encourage, support, comfort and love them. Thank you for sharing your children with us and know that we take the trust you have extended us very seriously.

          Please always feel free to “chat” with us about the day’s events.

              We are all looking forward to an exciting year and all of the journeys ahead of us.

This newsletter has a lot of information regarding upcoming events and getting started in our program.  PLEASE take time to read it and make notes on your own family’s calendar so that your family does not miss out on important  dates, etc.

September’s Journey –

The beginning of a new school year presents us with an opportunity to see ourselves not only as individuals but also as a part of something bigger: a family, a school setting, a community. 

“A child is born a first time, and then, through the long and difficult process of constructing his identity, it is as if he is born again.  In this process, he gives himself a face, a body, gestures, movement, speech, thought, feelings, imagination, fantasy; in short, the awareness of being and the means of expressing his “me-ness” which is absolutely essential for becoming autonomous and distinguishing ourselves from other people and things – people and things we live and interact with and from which, little by little, we draw most of the raw material with which we create our own identity.  To recognize ourselves and to be recognized.  But a child’s most sought-after goal is to recognize himself in others, and to find in others (objects and the natural world as well) parts of himself.”                                                                                                                            ~ Loris Malaguzzi

We will begin our year with exploring “Connections.” It is a broad umbrella that will give us many opportunities and possibilities to not only think about how things, objects, experiences etc. in the world relate to each other and are connected but also how we as people connect with each other. Connecting with each other will be the first steps we will take together on this journey. We are using the lovely children’s book, “Hello, My Name Is Ruby” by Philip C. Stead to open up the conversation. Ruby bravely goes out into the world to introduce herself to others. As she wanders along she also sees some of the different ways the other creatures experience the world. We look forward to the journey start and will be excited to see how it grows and evolves! Stay tuned……………………………!

STUDIO DISCOVERY FRIDAYS kick off this upcoming Friday September 1st with a focus on BALANCE!! We are ready to have loads of fun as we experiment with our bodies and objects to learn everything we can about this exciting topic!

Greetings & Goodbyes –

Entering the school environment is a transition time and the most significant one of the day.  Children and parents enter the school with multiple needs and feelings.  There can be enthusiasm, excitement, anxiety, sadness, confusion and frustration – just to name a few.  Teachers see their role at this time as facilitators of the morning transition.  We make ourselves available to hold a child during a tearful or joyful good-bye, receive and transfer information from and to parents, reassure everyone that things will be okay, and help children connect with activities, materials and each other when they are ready.  Parents tend to feel more comfortable going off to start their day once their children are engaged in an activity.  On the other hand, most children are preoccupied with the process of transitioning from home and parents to school and teachers. They are really not ready to begin something until the transition is complete. Once the parent has driven away, they are ready to look around and spend some time thinking about where they want to start. Please speak with teachers if you would like support with your morning transition.

END OF DAY   Friends’n Fun’s day has several schedule options. Teachers plan a variety of experiences for the groups of children who are scheduled for specific time frames. It can be confusing to all if there is an unrequested time overlap. Please help us with this by picking up your child at your scheduled end of day. If you would like to add to your schedule speak with Janet or Jane and we can plan for your child’s participation.

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HEALTH FORMS – The State of Colorado requires us to have a recent physical for each child at FnF.  This physical must be updated annually.  Please be sure that by September 12, 2016 we have documentation of this exam.  Jane will let you know if you are missing any paperwork.  Your cooperation is appreciated.  RETURNING FAMILIES: Licensing requires the permissions page of your child’s paperwork to be initialed and dated annually.  Jane will try and catch you at the beginning or end of the day to review and sign.

MEDICATIONS – A form  MUST be completed by your doctor each time he/she prescribes ANY medications to be given to your child while in our care.  This includes prescriptions and over the counter meds.  Please ask Jane or Janet for the medications form and have your physician complete this form and return to school with the medication(s), as we will not be able to administer any medications without it.  THANKS!

WATER BOTTLES – Our nurse consultant, who keeps us up to date on so many things and helps make sure we’re on top of current information regarding children’s health, has recommended that we do not allow water bottles.  Water bottles left in the cubbies, or even the refrigerator, are tempting to many children.  There is a chance a child may take a drink from someone else’s water bottle and this can lead to spread of germs. Some people may also add something to their children’s water bottle that may be unsafe for another child to have (examples: vitamins; fruit juices to which other children may be allergic).  Children have ready access to our water fountain whenever they need a drink and we work with the children on the best way to drink from the water fountain and sanitize it several times a day.  Thank you for your help in trying to contain the spread of germs.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mark your calendars and watch the Parent Board for more specifics regarding these dates.

THURSDAY Sept. 14 (4:00 – 7:00) PARENT-TEACHER FALL CONFERENCE

 Watch the Parent Bulletin Board for a sign-up sheet to schedule a 15 minute Fall conference. We like to touch base with all of you early in the year to help us better support your child’s interests and needs as well as answer any further questions you might have after being at FnF for a few weeks.

SATURDAY Nov. 18   FAMILY BRANCH CELEBRATION

Every school year we look forward to enjoying a few social events together.  We typically start with a Fall Potluck, gather together for the Family Branch celebration during the holiday season and end the year with a Spring Potluck.  We are having a challenging time trying to schedule events this Fall due to park availability, teacher’s evening schedules – Jane is taking a class this semester – and a few other confinements.  We will be unable to do the Potluck this Fall but have a couple of new ideas.

It is yet to be confirmed, but we are thinking of holding the Family Branch Celebration the Saturday before Thanksgiving before all of the holiday intensity builds; plan a family bowling event in January/ February; and end the year with the traditional Spring Potluck. And of course we will have the conferences and Mother’s Day Tea!  We apologize for the changes but hope we can still enjoy times to have fun and get to know each other this school year!!              

FRIENDS ‘N FUN SCHOOL CLOSINGS FOR 2017 -2018

September 4, 2017                    Labor Day

November 23 – 24, 2017                     Thanksgiving

December 25-29 & January 1    Winter Break (reopen Tuesday, Jan. 2nd)

January 15, 2018                Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

February 19, 2018                               President’s Day

March 28 – 29 – 30, 2018                    Spring Break

May 28, 2018                                   Memorial Day

Please watch Channel 9 News for notices of school closings or late opening times on days of extreme snow.  If you can, check Channel 9 News online for the most current updates, as the television has a delay time from when we called.  We will also post closures on the “Latest & Greatest” page on our website.

*******************************Welcome to Friends ‘n Fun.  We hope you enjoy your journey with us.

Janet, Jane, Katey  & Kara

Dear Parents,

Welcome to all our families – new, continuing, and returning.  We have a wonderful group of children for our summer session and are enjoying getting to know one another.  A new mix of children always invigorates us with the possibilities of new interests, talents, and friendships.

We are excited as we plan for the upcoming summer months. Throughout the summer various activities will be set out each day with children of all ages in mind.  Teachers are always enthusiastic for our change in curriculum format for the summer.  Preparing activity centers for in-depth exploration based on interests rather than ages seems to allow for new creative energy and limitless ideas.

We are starting June off with WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?. We will be reading a variety of children’s books and asking small groups of children to tell us what they see as a “problem” in the storyline.  Each group will work together to come up with ways to solve the problem(s) the children identified…and then gather materials to see how they can put those solutions into action.  Critical and creative thinking, art, engineering, communication, working together – all of these areas of development, and more, will organically generate in the solving of problems.

It is always fun to watch and see how doing one thing sparks an idea or suggestion for something else.  We will continue to watch and listen to see what other interests children are talking about during play that might guide us on our adventures and explorations this summer.  As we plan our summer days, we will try to post activities on the front bulletin board for you to see what we are going to be up to these summer days.

We may take an occasional walk around the block or a walk to the rock park 5 blocks East of us on Simpson Street for a morning of outdoor activities.  We will always communicate with you to let you know if we will be planning to leave the building!

We hope you enjoy your summer with us.

~ Janet, Jane, Katey & Kara

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SUNSCREEN  –

Feel free to apply sunscreen to children before they arrive at school. We have sunscreen and will reapply it throughout the day.  If your child needs a specific brand, please send it (labeled with your child’s name) and with a signed note indicating this is your preference. We use Banana Boat #50.

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Father’s Day “Breakfast Cafe”

Thursday, June 15 & Friday, June 16

We will have a breakfast cafe set up in the morning during drop-off for the children to spend some special time with their Dads.

We’ll have coffee & Santiago’s breakfast burritos for the Dads, and juice, fruit and a breakfast treat for the kids.

Come enjoy a special morning with your child(ren) before you head off to your day.

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Tornado Emergency Plans

June is typically our stormiest month – and we need to be prepared for any emergency.  We have emergency plans posted at the front door.  Should there be a tornado watch, where we are asked to seek shelter, we will take the children downstairs to our cellar where we have blankets, flashlights, water and stuffed animals.  You might need to have our cell phone numbers in case of such an emergency.  If you don’t have Jane or Janet’s cell phone numbers, let us know and we’ll give them to you.

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Vacation schedules

Please let staff know, when possible, of times that your child will not be attending.  This will help us in our staff scheduling, space availability for our friends from the school year to be able to come spend some time with us this summer, as well as letting children know when their special friends are returning after vacations.

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IMPORTANT DATES

Thursday/Friday  JUNE 15/JUNE 16                    Father’s Day Breakfast Cafe: We will                                                                                     have a “breakfast cafe” during drop-off                                                                                 time with Santiago’s Breakfast Burritos                                                                                 for the Dads

Tuesday, JULY 4                                                   Closed for Holiday

AUGUST 17/18                                                    Last days of Summer Session

AUGUST 21 – 25                                                 Friends ‘n Fun closed for cleaning,                                                                                       sprucing, prep, and planning for new                                                                                   school year.

AUGUST 28/29                                                  Beginning of Fall Session

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PLEASE REMEMBER TO SIGN YOUR CHILD IN & OUT EACH DAY IN THE SIGN IN NOTEBOOK

Dear Parents,

Spring has sprung!  The landscape is greening up with pops of color waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.   My, how the children have all grown this school year – in so many ways beyond physically!  We love that we get to be a part of this with you.  Thank you for sharing your children with us.  We are honored that you have all been a part of Friends ‘n Fun this year.

“BEEP BEEP! I AM A ROBOT!”

The Robot Study was so much fun and resulted in so many experiences!

  Some of us built small “toy” robots; some of us made huge cardboard robots. Some of us learned about robots as machines and made “Twirl Bots” powered by battery packs; some of us made robot “costumes” and “became” robots. Some of us were photographed and transformed into robot puppets; some of us co-authored stories about robots. Some of us made real live movies about robots; some of us performed a robot themed puppet show. ALL of US  had  a wonderful time learning about robots and using our imaginations as we made robots come to life!

Our next adventure will involve HATS!! Some of you may want to stop by and do a little shopping at our well stocked HAT SHOP. There are lots of different styles to choose from!

Our millinery talents will be called in to play as  we design custom hats to suit our individual interests and personalities. We are certain that a Hat Fashion Show will be needed in order to display our creations.

We  also plan to use our hats in a theatrical production of the Mem Fox book THE MAGIC HAT.

We, as teachers, continue to be inspired by what is interesting and exciting to the children.  They have led us on some amazing journeys this year!

This newsletter has lots of dates for and information about upcoming events!  Keep reading for more news and dates!!!!

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FRIENDS ’N FUN’S ANNUAL

MOTHER’S DAY TEA

CALLING ALL MOMS!!!!

Wednesday May 10th and Thursday May 11th

Please be sure to attend this special event! Your child will be at your “beck and call” as he or she attends to your every need during our Mother’s Day Tea Party. Your child should arrive at school at their regular time so we can prepare for the school’s magical transformation. You are invited to return at 11:00 to enjoy tea and treats served to you by your children. Be ready to shed a tear or two!

Due to our limited space and the nature of this special celebration, siblings or other family members will not be able to attend. If you unable to come a substitute would help your child join the celebration.

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PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE SPECIAL DATES IN THIS NEWSLETTER AND MARK THEM ON YOUR CALENDARS…..

IMPORTANT DATES – SPRING & SUMMER 2017

May 10 and 11  (Wed/Thu)    Mother’s Day Tea – 11:00 – 12:00

                                              (depending on your child’s school schedule)

May 17 (Wed)                 End of Year Potluck Picnic  6:00pm to 7:30pm

                                        at La Monte Does Park.

                                      EVERYONE: Main Dish to share

                                                         AND

                                     Last name starts with A-M: Dessert

                                     Last name starts with N-Z: Salad

May 23/25 (Tues/Thurs)                Parent Teacher Conferences

                                                  Conferences will be held Tuesday and Thursday                                                                  afternoons/early evening. Conference sign up sheets will                                                      be posted in May.

May 25/ 26 (Fri)               Last Day of School

May 29 (Mon)                Memorial Day  School closed

May 30/31                    No school for children

June 1/2                         First Day of Summer Session

                                      Summer session runs from June 1st through August 18th.

July 4     Fourth of July Holiday  School closed

Aug 17/18               Last days of Summer Session

August 21-25                FnF Closed for Children

                                    For cleaning, organizing and planning for Fall 2017.

August 28/29                  Fall Session Begins

We will be closed in observance of President’s Day.

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year!  It is so nice to have everyone back and ready to be having fun and learning and growing together again!

Thanks to everyone for creating a Tradition Branch.  It was joyful to be surrounded by so many families and having an opportunity to hear more about the traditions your family celebrates and values.  The children have fun looking for their own branches and recognizing branches that belong to their friends.  It is one of our favorite events, so thank you for sharing your time with us in a month that we know can be extra busy!

Also in December, our past parent and long time friend Bruce Kirschner, whose adult sons Paul and Sam attended Friends’n Fun as preschoolers, came to school to celebrate Hanukkah with us.  Bruce has been doing this with us for 20 years now!  He engages the children with his warm and funny personality and is always memorable. 

Our nighttime exploration is wrapping up this week.  We collectively worked to give our school a nighttime feel by creating a backdrop with stars and a nighttime hut to set the mood and prepare for a pajama day.  After our surroundings were enhanced, each group moved into individual studies that were of interest to the children in small groups.  Some children were interested in nocturnal animals. Owls were studied by some – the different types (so many!), their interesting behavior and their peculiar digestion process that results in owl pellets. Books were created along with adorable owls made cardboard tubes, stuffed owls and owl masks.  Bats were studied by a couple of groups in a variety of ways: we pretended to be bats and made bat ears and wings, made bat caves, used small photos of children dressed as bats and attached them to clothespins so they could hang upside down in bat caves, and played games to simulate echolocation.  Other nocturnal animals were also studied. Informative posters were created,  nocturnal animal pretend play was enjoyed and a varied assortment of nocturnal animal stuffies were stitched!

Additionally the nighttime study also lent itself to curiosity about light in the dark and day and night. Time was spent playing with lights in the dark and creating lanterns. A model of the day and night cycle was built to demonstrate the answer to the question “Why is it light here when it’s dark on the other side of the world?”.  The moon was another nighttime curiosity. Some of us looked at moon phases and learned how moon craters came about. One group decided a journey to the moon was needed.  They built a spaceship and created  the surface of the moon, complete with craters and moon rocks in preparation for the FnF Mission to the Moon! Children donned their spacesuits, got on their rocket and blasted off to explore the moon!!

We are beginning our transition to our next topic….. ROBOTS!  The children are starting to brainstorm ideas of things we could do and discover about robots and we are hoping to include a theatrical opportunity that will center around robots.  It is always exciting to delve into something new, never quite knowing where we will go on these journeys together.

We are also concluding our current Friday Studio Discovery in which we’ve been exploring artists (Paul Klee, Vincent Van Gogh, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, to name a few), materials (tempera paint, watercolor, collage, assemblage, oil pastels, acrylic) and gaining inspiration, and new words associated with art, from the artists and materials in our discoveries.

Our next series for Studio Discovery will be……MYSTERIES!  Only the teachers creating the experience will know what might unfold.  Aren’t you curious?!?!

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SHARE-A-GIFT and FOOD COLLECTION

The people at Share-a-Gift tell us that each year Friends ‘n Fun parents are one of the most generous group of contributors to their program.  This year our box was filled to overflowing 4 separate times…and our box was bigger than it was last year!

Thanks to all of you for your concern for others in need.

In an effort to offer additional support throughout the year we will continue to provide a food collection tub for shelf stable goods that we will donate to the Sister Carmen Community Center food bank.  The collection tub is on the front porch the first full week of each month.  Upcoming collection weeks: Feb 6-10, Mar 6-10, Apr 3-7.

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NOTE CARD FUNDRAISER!!!!!!

Thanks to all of you for your notecard orders. Your contributions raised $1300.  We hope that you and your families enjoy the amazing artwork created by your children. Thank you so much for your continued support and generosity!

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VALENTINE’S DAY–

Your children are invited to bring valentines for their friends on Monday, February 13th or Tuesday the 14th.  

For children of preschool age it is best to just have them write their names on the cards and leave the envelopes blank.  You can buy pre-packaged valentines or join them in making their own creations.

                                                  Bring 22 cards for the Monday group

                                                   and 22 cards for the Tuesday group.                                           

A Valentine snack sign up will be posted on the parent bulletin board closer to time.

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SNOWY WEATHER!!!!

We will notify 9 News if we will be closed due to bad winter weather. It sometimes takes awhile for schools to be listed on television but a listing pops up pretty quickly on their website, so check there as well. We will also post closures on our website on the Latest & Greatest page.  If you are not sure you are welcome to call Jane @ 303-775-1531 or Janet @ 303-818-4842.

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ENROLLMENT FORMS

You will be receiving questionnaires asking for your schedule requests for Summer 2017 and Fall 2017.  We appreciate your prompt return of these forms so we can begin our enrollment process.

PLEASE RETURN BY FEB 7th!!

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UPCOMING DATES TO BE AWARE OF:

Please mark your calendars and note the following dates

Monday/Tuesday, February 13th & 14th: Valentine’s Day

Monday, February 20th: Presidents Day – Friends ‘n Fun CLOSED

Wednesday-Friday, March 29th-31st: Spring Break – Friends ‘n Fun CLOSED

Wednesday/Thursday, May 10th & 11th:  Mother’s Day Tea (details closer to event)

Thursday/Friday, May 25th & 26th:  Last days of school

We will be closed on Monday, January 16th in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Friends ‘n Fun is closed Thursday, January 5th due to weather.  Stay safe and warm!

We are proud to be participating in Share-a-Gift again this year. Share-a-Gift is an annual, all-volunteer, non-profit toy collection and distribution holiday project encompassing the Boulder Valley school area. Last year over 600 households (1600 boys and girls, ages birth to 14) received these community donations. To be successful, Share-a-Gift needs thousands of high quality, new and used toys, games, books, and puzzles. School collections are the biggest source of toys for Share-a-Gift. This collection allows children to meaningfully participate in gift giving by sharing their own gently used or new toys with less fortunate children in Boulder county. Toys may be dropped off in the Share-a-Gift box in our school beginning the Monday after Thanksgiving, November 28th, through Wednesday, December 14th. Friends ‘n Fun families have been one of their biggest donors in the past. Let’s see what we can do to continue this tradition of giving!

Dear Parents,  

Wow! Time flies when you are having Fun! We have been busy exploring houses and home in so many exciting ways – building with blocks and magna tiles; playing with doll houses and furniture; drawing and painting; building with wood and cardboard; pretending to be at “home” with dress up clothes, food and dishes; and playing in kid sized cardboard houses. We have talked about the people who live in our homes with us and the love that is shared with each other there!

We are nearing the end of the Home and Houses study and after interviewing the children about what they might be interested in next, NIGHTTIME kept coming up SO……. NIGHTTIME it is! Teachers are excited about all of the twists and turns this focus can take, from dreams and pajama days to the science of night and day and nocturnal creatures that scurry about while everyone else is sleeping. Stay tuned to how this new area of study evolves!

Studio Discovery Fridays have been all about SOUND! Katey and Kara have been working with the children to identify different indoor, outdoor and recorded sounds. They have explored new vocabulary as they engaged in creating a Cacophony of sound as well as pleasing the ear with a beautiful Euphony! We visited the sound garden outside of the Center for Musical Arts and then made sound gardens of our own. Currently we are investigating sound and vibration.

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PLEASE be sure to read the newsletter carefully and mark your calendar for some exciting upcoming events  ______________________________________________________________

ANNUAL TREE OF THANKS – BY FRIENDS ‘n FUN FAMILIES –

We invite you to join us in creating a leaf to attach to the tree in our front yard. We will be sending home paper leaves and a few fun things to embellish them with. We would like you to work with your child and family to think about whom in your family, friends, neighbors and/or people in the community you are grateful to and why. Then please write a short note of thanks explaining this on the leaf, let the children decorate it, and then cover it (front & back) with the contact paper. Make sure your child’d name is on the leaf! Teachers will have ribbon at school for you to use to tie the leaves onto a wire we will have affixed to the tree. We are in the hopes that you and your children will take time to read the collection of leaves of thanks on our tree. We also hope that the community of walkers by in Lafayette might see and learn more about us as a community at Friends ‘n Fun.

SNOW DAYS

It’s that time of year again. Check Channel 9 News website when in doubt, or on the “Latest & Greatest” page on our website: www.friendsnfunchildrenscenter.com
FnF will be listed on 9news.com for school closings or we will be listed as a “late start.” We will make the decision to close based on the safety of all – children, parents and community. If you have questions on snow days please call Janet  or Jane. We’ll do our best to keep you informed. Thank you.

FAMILY TRADITIONS

The holiday season is upon us. It all begins with Halloween (from the children’s perspective) and rolls into Diwali, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Las Posadas, Christmas, multiple New Years’, and many other wonderful celebrations that honor special cultural and religious traditions. We join together with family and friends to enjoy this season.

We treasure all of the unique and distinctive differences and unifying similarities that make up our school community. This holiday season we would like to recognize all of our families.

On Saturday, Dec. 10th from 1:00-3:00 we have once again reserved the John M. Taylor Conference Center at Imagine! We would like to invite your family to join us to decorate a tree branch with photographs and small objects that represent special things about your family. We will provide an assortment of yarns, beads, wire, buttons, jewels, etc. – and a tree branch for each of you. You can bring photographs, small objects and your wonderful children. We will work together at Imagine! to create these beautiful branches. We will then bring them back to school to display for all to enjoy. The things you bring to embellish the branch should represent your family’s interests (biking, pets, skiing, etc.), as well as special celebrations.

We hope you can attend this gathering to get to know each other and share in an activity with your children to celebrate this special time of year. Drop by anytime between 1 and 3 and spend as much time as works for you that day.

We will post maps/directions to Imagine! on the bulletin board closer to the event date.

FUNDRAISER  

In December we will create note cards using your child’s artwork – easel paintings, watercolor paintings, self-portraits, collages, etc.  Packages of your child’s note cards, with envelopes, will be available to you at $12.00 per package of 8.  In the past families have sent them to grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc. for holiday gifts.  The money raised goes to help purchase art supplies at Friends ‘n Fun.  Watch the parent bulletin board for additional details.

This is our ONLY fundraiser of the year and it typically brings us about $1000 for use in our supply budget. We hope you can support us and enjoy this celebration of your children’s efforts. Thank you for your continued support of our small program.

SHARE-A-GIFT

We are proud to be participating in Share-a-Gift again this year. Share-a-Gift is an annual, all-volunteer, non-profit toy collection and distribution holiday project encompassing the Boulder Valley school area. Last  year over 600 households (1600 boys and girls, ages birth to 14) received these community donations. To be successful, Share-a-Gift needs thousands of high quality, new and used toys, games, books, and puzzles. School collections are the biggest source of toys for Share-a-Gift. This collection allows children to meaningfully participate in gift giving by sharing their own gently used or new toys with less fortunate children in Boulder county. Toys may be dropped off in the Share-a-Gift box in our school beginning the Monday after Thanksgiving, November 28th, through Wednesday, December 14th.   Friends ‘n Fun families have been one of their biggest donors in the past.  Let’s see what we can do to continue this tradition of giving!

IMPORTANT DATES !!!!!!!!!!!

Nov. 16-17 – Tree of Thanks leaves to be sent home.  Return to us anytime from the 21st on, and help your child attach them to our tree so our neighborhood community can enjoy.

Nov. 24-25 – CLOSED for Thanksgiving Holiday

Dec. 10 – FnF Family Traditions Workshop – 

  Imagine! John M. Taylor Conference Center

  1665 Coal Creek Drive, Lafayette

  1:00 – 3:00 PM

Dec. 26 – Dec.30    – FnF Closed. We will be closed from Monday,

                      Dec. 26th through Friday, Dec. 30th. We will reopen on 

Monday, January 2, 2017.

Dear Families,

One of our friends at school has a serious nut allergy and we would like to ask you to avoid bringing nuts to school.  Thanks for helping all of us take good care of him!

Janet, Jane & Katey

Dear Parents,

Welcome to a new year at Friends ‘n Fun. Our mission is to help you to provide your child with experiences that are filled with adventure, exploration and discovery. We want to be in collaboration with you as we work together to support your child as he/she grows and develops during these exciting early years of childhood. We encourage you to let us know of any concerns or questions that you may have throughout the school year.

Teachers at FnF realize that parents know their children better than anyone. It is you who have seen them smile their first smile; it is you who celebrated their first words and first steps; it is you who have nursed them through illness and accidents, and it is you who continue to encourage, support, comfort and love them. Thank you for sharing your children with us and know that we take the trust you have extended us very seriously. Please always feel free to “chat” with us about the day’s events.

We are all looking forward to an exciting year and all of the journeys ahead of us.

This newsletter has a lot of information regarding upcoming events and getting started in our program. PLEASE take time to read it and make notes on your own family’s calendar so that your family does not miss out on important dates, etc.

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September’s Journey –

The beginning of a new school year presents us with an opportunity to see ourselves not only as individuals but also as a part of something bigger: a family, a school setting, a community.

“A child is born a first time, and then, through the long and difficult process of constructing his identity, it is as if he is born again. In this process, he gives himself a face, a body, gestures, movement, speech, thought, feelings, imagination, fantasy; in short, the awareness of being and the means of expressing his “me-ness” which is absolutely essential for becoming autonomous and distinguishing ourselves from other people and things – people and things we live and interact with and from which, little by little, we draw most of the raw material with which we create our own identity. To recognize ourselves and to be recognized. But a child’s most sought-after goal is to recognize himself in others, and to find in others (objects and the natural world as well) parts of himself.”

                                                                                                           ~Loris Malaguzzi

We will begin our year with a focus on “Home: A Very Special House.” It is our intention to explore with the children the idea of Home – the space you share with your family, and House – the dwelling you and your family live in. We will look at our own homes and houses at the beginning and then intend to look at different styles of houses that families in different parts of the world call home. We ask that you send a photo (smart phone photos are good) of the front of your house to our email address. We will then print out the images for the children to use as we develop activities and projects. We would love to begin using the photos next week so if it is possible to receive them by Friday the 2nd of September that would be great! fnfcc@comcast.net

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Greetings & Goodbyes –

Entering the school environment is a transition time and the most significant one of the day. Children and parents enter the school with multiple needs and feelings. There can be enthusiasm, excitement, anxiety, sadness, confusion and frustration – just to name a few. Teachers see their role at this time as facilitators of the morning transition. We make ourselves available to hold a child during a tearful or joyful good-bye, receive and transfer information from and to parents, reassure everyone that things will be okay, and help children connect with activities, materials and each other when they are ready. Parents tend to feel more comfortable going off to start their day once their children are engaged in an activity. On the other hand, most children are preoccupied with the process of transitioning from home and parents to school and teachers. They are really not ready to begin something until the transition is complete. Once the parent has driven away, they are ready to look around and spend some time thinking about where they want to start. Please speak with teachers if you would like support with your morning transition.

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LITTLE REMINDERS – Here are a few things we want to remind you about:

Read your Parent Handbook – it’s full of useful information. If you need a new one let us know.

Please sign your child in and out each day in the notebook on the white shelf at the front door.

Check your child’s cubby box daily and take home the things they have worked so hard on and treasure.

Please notice exactly where your child hangs his/her coat. There will be 2 children sharing a coat space during each preschool session. Please be respectful of your “coat cubby mate!”

Please bring an extra change of clothes for your child to keep in his/her cubby. Please label them.

Ask any of us about what we did during the day. Sometimes a clue from you will help spark your child’s memory and they’ll be able to tell you all sorts of things about their day at FnF.

Backpacks – We have so very little space in this building that we are unable to store backpacks at school. The children share the coat hanging spaces and backpacks make it difficult to hang up coats.

Snacks – there is a calendar at the front bulletin board for you to sign up to bring a healthy snack for the entire school (21 children.) This is a great way to participate and help your child feel a part of the school. We try to serve healthy snacks to the children in single service form, as we do not have a licensed food preparation kitchen. When Birthday time comes, please feel free to bring a special snack for your birthday child. If you should choose to provide cupcakes, try to send the mini sized ones, as full size cupcakes are too much snack for young children.

Check the parent board and front door for posted information.

We will have book orders on the front door from time to time. Please feel free to take them if you are interested. They are usually fairly inexpensive and make great gifts. Orders usually take 3-4 weeks to come in.

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END OF DAY

Friends’n Fun’s day has several schedule options. Teachers plan a variety of experiences for the groups of children who are scheduled for specific time frames. It can be confusing to all if there is an unrequested time overlap. Please help us with this by picking up your child at your scheduled end of day. If you would like to add to your schedule speak with Janet or Jane and we can plan for your child’s participation.

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HEALTH FORMS – The State of Colorado requires us to have a recent physical for each child at FnF. This physical must be updated annually. Please be sure that by September 12, 2016 we have documentation of this exam. Jane will let you know if you are missing any paperwork. Your cooperation is appreciated. RETURNING FAMILIES: Licensing requires the permissions page of your child’s paperwork to be initialed and dated annually. Jane will try and catch you at the beginning or end of the day to review and sign.

MEDICATIONS – A form MUST be completed by your doctor each time he/she prescribes ANY medications to be given to your child while in our care. This includes prescriptions and over the counter meds. Please ask Jane or Janet for the medications form and have your physician complete this form and return to school with the medication(s), as we will not be able to administer any medications without it. THANKS!

WATER BOTTLES -Our nurse consultant, who keeps us up to date on so many things and helps make sure we’re on top of current information regarding children’s health, has recommended that we do not allow water bottles. Water bottles left in the cubbies, or even the refrigerator, are tempting to many children. There is a chance a child may take a drink from someone else’s water bottle and this can lead to spread of germs. Some people may also add something to their children’s water bottle that may be unsafe for another child to have (examples: vitamins; fruit juices to which other children may be allergic). Children have ready access to our water fountain whenever they need a drink and we work with the children on the best way to drink from the water fountain and sanitize it several times a day.  Thank you for your help in trying to contain the spread of germs.

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CLASS LIST WITH CONTACT INFORMATION – we are working on this and will make sure everyone has a copy once it’s ready!

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UPCOMING EVENTS-

Mark your calendars and watch the Parent Bulletin Board for more specifics regarding these dates.

Wed. Sept. 7 (3:30 – 6:30) & Thur. Sept.8 (3:30 – 6:30)

PARENT-TEACHER FALL CONFERENCES – watch the parent bulletin board for a sign-up sheet to schedule a 15 minute conference with your child’s small group teacher.

Wed. Sept.14 POTLUCK PICNIC – an all school, all family event held from 6:00 pm-7:30 pm at LaMont Does Park in Lafayette on South Boulder Road. Watch the parent board for more information.

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FRIENDS ‘N FUN SCHOOL CLOSINGS FOR 2016 -2017

September 5, 2016      Labor Day

November 24 – 25, 2016         Thanksgiving

December 24-31 January 1        Winter Break (reopen Monday, Jan. 2th)

January 16, 2017           Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

February 20, 2017           President’s Day

March 29 – 30 – 31, 2017           Spring Break

May 29, 2017         Memorial Day

Please watch Channel 9 News for notices of school closings or late opening times on days of extreme snow. If you can, check Channel 9 News online for the most current updates, as the television has a delay time from when we called. We will also post closures on the “Latest & Greatest” page on our website.

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Friends ‘n Fun has pursued the study of the internationally renowned philosophy of early childhood education that has been cultivated over the past 50 years in the Reggio Emilia community in northern Italy. We continually integrate this philosophy with our own- weaving them together to beautifully and holistically address the needs of our own unique community. There is so much to learn.

Janet, Jane, Katey, Jamie & Kara

Dear Parents,

We are having such a busy and wonderful Summer!

We started June off with PUPPETS. Our puppet adventures so far have included: THE THREE LITTLE PIGS with STICK PUPPETS; OUTER SPACE with FINGER PUPPET ALIENS AND ASTRONAUTS; and the ZOO with Zoo Animal SOCK PUPPETS. The beautiful scenery for our puppetry performances were collaborative creations. Children worked together to paint planets, stars and solar systems on black fabric. They also created a giant Zoo backdrop using cardboard, oil pastels and paint.

Now we are ready to explore SHADOW PUPPETS. We will be looking at light, darkness and how the combination helps us form shadows. We will be making a variety of shadow puppet theaters as well as a few different styles of puppets.

Exploring different techniques for making puppets, interacting with peers and their puppets, designing backdrops and sets, and formulating stories for puppet performances has kept us very busy!!

We look forward to seeing where the rest of our summer adventures take us.

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A NOTE FROM HONOR:

Dear Friends’n Fun families,

I have made the tough decision to move back to Northern California to be closer to my family. This was not an easy decision because of all the great children and families that I had a chance to work with this year. My plan is to continue to teach preschool in a Reggio-inspired school in the Bay Area.

I will truly miss each and every one of you. My last day will be Friday, August 5th.

Sincerely,

Honor Fairman

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We have enjoyed having Honor with us this past year. The contribution of her thoughts, ideas, and perspective have enriched and enhanced our school community. We wish her all the best in her life and next professional adventure!! Thank you Honor for sharing your kind and gentle spirit and Early Childhood Education professionalism with all of us!!

For those of you who were with us in the 2014-2015 school year, you probably remember Kara Beard who was a part of the FnF teaching team for the previous five years. She has spent the past year teaching in South Korea and will be returning to the states this fall….and to Friends ‘n Fun. We are SO fortunate to have her rejoin us and look forward to being inspired by her international teaching adventure.

Kara will return to FnF the last week in September. A very recent past parent, Kellan’s mom Jamie Parker, will be filling in for the month between the end of Summer session and Kara’s return. Jamie has been involved in the Early Childhood and the Education fields in many capacities and has subbed for us a bit this past school year. We are so grateful that she will be available to help us bridge this gap.

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JOIN US FOR POPSICLES WITH HONOR

Friday, August 5th

2:30pm – 3:30pm

at Friends ‘n Fun

As we say goodbye and bid her best wishes!

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IMPORTANT DATES

Friday AUGUST 19        Last day of Summer Session

                            AUGUST 22 – 26            Friends ‘n Fun closed for cleaning, sprucing,        prep and planning for new school year

AUGUST 29                Beginning of Fall Session

Dear Parents,

Welcome to all our families – new, continuing, and returning. We have a wonderful group of children for our summer session and are enjoying getting to know one another. A new mix of children always invigorates us with the possibilities of new interests, talents, and friendships.

We are excited as we plan for the upcoming summer months. Throughout the summer various activities will be set out each day with children of all ages in mind. Teachers are always enthusiastic for our change in curriculum format for the summer. Preparing activity centers for in-depth exploration based on interests rather than ages seems to allow for new creative energy and limitless ideas.

We are starting June off with PUPPETS. We will be busy creating a cornucopia of different types of puppets with a variety of materials, doing puppet shows for each other, exploring puppet theater ideas, and who knows what else! It is always fun to watch and see how doing one thing sparks an idea or suggestion for something else. We will continue to watch and listen to see what other interests children are talking about during play that might guide us on our adventures and explorations this summer. As we plan our summer days, we will try to post activities on the front bulletin board for you to see what we are going to be up to these summer days.

We may take an occasional walk around the block, a walk to Pioneer Elementary School’s playground, or a walk to the rock park 5 blocks East of us on Simpson Street for a morning of outdoor activities. We will always communicate with you to let you know if we will be planning to leave the building!

We hope you enjoy your summer with us.

                                  ~ Janet, Jane, Katey & Honor

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REQUEST: We are always collecting items for our shelves and projects.

We are currently looking for the following:

• Paper (any old letterhead lying around – we’ll use it!)
• Envelopes Wood & Metal – scraps and interesting pieces of wood and metal (nuts, bolts, washers, old keys, tin cans – anything of that nature)
• Cardboard tubes – from toilet paper or paper towels

Watch the front door for additional requests as we continue to plan out our summer activities.

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SUNSCREEN

Feel free to apply sunscreen to children before they arrive at school. We have sunscreen and will reapply it throughout the day. If your child needs a specific brand, please send it (labeled with your child’s name) and with a signed note indicating this is your preference. We use Banana Boat #50.

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Tornado Emergency Plans

June is typically our stormiest month – and we need to be prepared for any emergency. We have emergency plans posted at the front door. Should there be a tornado watch, where we are asked to seek shelter, we will take the children downstairs to our cellar where we have blankets, flashlights, water and stuffed animals. Please let us know if you need Jane & Janet’s cell phone numbers in case of such an emergency.

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Vacation schedules

Please let staff know, when possible, of times that your child will not be attending. This will help us in our staff scheduling, space availability for our friends from the school year to be able to come spend some time with us this summer, as well as letting children know when their special friends are returning after vacations.

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IMPORTANT DATES

Thursday/Friday JUNE 16/JUNE 17                  

Father’s Day Breakfast Cafe: We will have a “breakfast cafe” during drop-off                            time with Santiago’s Breakfast Burritos for the Dads

Monday, JULY 4

Closed for Holiday

AUGUST 18/19

Last days of Summer Session

AUGUST 22 – 26

Friends ‘n Fun closed for cleaning, sprucing, prep and planning for new school year.

AUGUST 29/30

Beginning of Fall Session

Dear Parents,

Happy almost Spring! It is such a delight to see the crocuses and tips of tulip leaves peeking out around the edges preparing us for the upcoming explosion of color!

Our exploration of “The Art of Pretending” was joyful, engaging and entertaining. There were Dinosaur Digs resulting in a Dinosaur Museum, becoming airplanes flying in the front yard, riding on airplanes, and writing stories that then were acted out. Children’s imaginations and pretending were engaged and used to their fullest! The children enjoyed the culminating experiences of “Petville” and “Castles, Knights, Princesses, Dragons and Horses”. It was a delight to see them add to what had been set up for them as they arrived in the morning: a veterinarian that would also take care of pet owners ailments and a cash register added to the room with the royal clothing made it into a shop that sells those clothes. These children are always thinking and so creative!

An extra special thanks go to Chip Persons and Erin Wright (Rory’s parents) for sharing their acting talents and expertise with us on the last day of pretending. They led us in acting exercises that Chip uses with his college students at CU Boulder. They helped us think about every step that is involved in a task (example: waking up and brushing your teeth) and what movements you might do to clearly convey what it is you are doing without using words. We also broke into small groups of 4 to 5 children and one adult. We worked together to become one object – an airplane! It was exciting to see how each group came together and created an airplane with their bodies by standing or lying down and positioning arms, legs, bodies, heads in different ways. We had so much fun and the children are still talking about how they worked together to become airplanes! We know the pretending isn’t over (as some children have told their parents) – it never is! It just won’t be our school focus.

If you haven’t already heard about it from your child, our next area of exploration is “Deep Sea”! We are doing this in honor of Adam who has been with us for three years and has not wavered in his devotion to all things “Deep Sea”. When we asked all the children what they thought of the topic and what they might be interested in, we couldn’t write fast enough to keep up with the thoughts/ideas/suggestions as they flowed at circle. Waves, submarines, sea creatures, sea plants, mermaids, the Mariana Trench, scuba diving, coral, sharks, whales, dolphins…..the list is far more extensive than this! Only a week into this exploration and we are feeling the hum of excitement around the “Deep Sea” and are looking forward to where this new journey will take us.

This newsletter has lots of dates for upcoming events in the couple of months! Keep reading for more news and dates!!!!

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FRIENDS ‘N FUN FOOD SHARE

We love the community we are in and were touched by everyone’s generosity with the Share-A-Gift collection.

We want to continue to give to our community and have settled on the idea of having an on-going food/dry goods collection that we would contribute to the Sister Carmen food bank. They are in need of donations year round. Thanks to Cassidy’s mom, Sam, for the suggestion of a standard time frame that occurs monthly!

There will be a tub on the front porch for one week each month (typically the first week of the month) where your family may contribute as it works for you. We will post a reminder on the front door the week prior. We’ll try to update everyone with the amount donated on a regular basis.

~~ Because we’d like to start this, and this newsletter is late, we’ll have the container on the front porch next week for March only. ~~

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FRIENDS ‘N FUN BOOK CLUB

We have selected The Preschool Years: Family Strategies That Work – From Experts and Parents by Ellen Galinsky and Judy David as our book.

Please let us know by FRIDAY, MARCH 11TH if you would be interested in reading this book and then joining us for a discussion on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20TH (time to be determined).

Friends ‘n Fun will order books for those that are interested and then you can purchase the book from us. We’ll search for the best prices we can!!!

We look forward to the opportunity to connect with you around this book.

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FAMILY SURVEYS

Thank you to everyone for completeing and returning the Family Survey. We had an incredible return rate and appreciate you taking the time to fill those out for us!

If you have any questions, thoughts, or ideas that have come to mind, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We always welcome your thoughts and insights in guiding us all in our work together.

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SNOWY WEATHER!!!!

It’s hard to believe we’re still including this, but spring weather can be unpredictable! We will notify 9 News if we will be closed due to bad weather. It sometimes takes awhile for schools to be listed on television but a listing pops up pretty quickly on their website, so check there as well. We will also post closure on our websites Latest & Greatest page. If you are not sure you are also always welcome to call Janet or Jane @ 303-775-1531.

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PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE SPECIAL DATES IN THIS NEWSLETTER AND MARK THEM ON YOUR CALENDARS…..

IMPORTANT DATES – SPRING 2016

March 23, 24, 25                            SPRING BREAK

May 4 and 5 (Wed/Thu)                Mother’s Day Tea – 11:00 – 12:00

                                                      (depending on your child’s school schedule)

Calling all moms! Please be sure you attend this special event. Your child will be at your “beck and call” for part of this day. Bring your child at their regular time. And then you will return at 11:00 to enjoy tea and treats served by your children. Details will be posted in late April. Due to our limited space and the nature of this special celebration, siblings or other family members will not be able to attend. If you are unable to come a substitute would help your child join in the celebration.

May TBA                                 Parent Teacher Conferences

Please watch the parent bulletin board for a sign up sheet to attend a conference on one of the listed days. Conferences will be 20 minutes each.

May 25 (Wed)                        End of Year Potluck Picnic

At La Monte Does Park.  Details to follow.

May 30                                  Memorial Day  school closed

May 27 (Fri)                           Last Day of School

June 1 & 2                            First Day of Summer Session

                                            Summer session runs from June 1st through August 19th

July 4                                   Fourth of July Holiday  school closed

August 22-26                      FnF Closed for Children 

for cleaning, organizing and planning for Fall 2016

August 29/30                      Fall Session Begins