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
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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: