October Newsletter

Dear Preschool Families,

The first month of school went by quick. As we continue to bond with your child we are forming trusting, loving relationships. Children are now comfortable with their preschool environment, teachers and friends. Fall is in the air and we have lots of fun activities planned this month.

Blessing of the Animals
Father German will be blessing all of God’s creatures at the church located across the street from our school, October 4th at 9:00am. Every member of the community is invited to bring their pets to be blessed. To ensure all the companions get along peacefully, please have your pet on a leash or in a secure carrier (if needed) for the safety of the other animals. Bring your favorite stuffed animal for a blessing too!

St. Sebastian Church Yard Sale
Come join us at our Church Yard Sale here at St. Sebastian Church parking lot, October 11th from 8am to 2pm. There will be delicious food for sale along with everything you can imagine that is sold at a yard sale. Who knows, you might find some treasures!

Picture Day
October 16th is picture day! Please have your child here no later than 9:00am. We will be taking pictures in the cafeteria. Please have your child dressed in their best picture day outfit. If you would like us to change your child after pictures please provide a change of clothes and let us know. We will be happy to do that for you.
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Free Spanish Early Literacy Program for you and your child!
Come learn or practice your Spanish with your preschooler every Thursday, beginning October 22nd to December 17th from 11:00am to 11:45am here at our school with a Spanish instructor.
Act quick, there are only 12 spots available. We are offering this wonderful opportunity to our St. Sebastian preschool families first. In order to participate, your child must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and must be committed to attend every Thursdays.

If you are interested in this free program, please contact our school office.
 
Pumpkin Decorating
 
Towards the end of the month, preschoolers will be having fun working on Halloween activities. To help us create a seasonal atmosphere, please bring a small pumpkin (Approx. 5 inches for your child to use for an art activity at the beginning of the month.  Small pumpkins can be purchased at Trader Joes for $1.99).
Volunteer and donation needed: Our preschool class is in need of one or two big pumpkins. We also need a parent volunteer who can come in to show our preschoolers a pumpkin carving demonstration. Don’t worry…you don’t have to be an expert carver. 

Parent Teacher Conference
Parent/Teacher conference will be October 26th, Monday. Please make sure to sign up. Sign-up sheet will be posted on our Preschool Parent Information board two weeks prior to the date. If you cannot make it on this day, please let us know. We understand how important it is for teachers and parents to meet. We will try our best to work with your schedule.

Halloween Parade & Professor Egghead
Every year St. Sebastian School celebrates Halloween in a “big” way and the celebrating starts at 9:15am on October 30th with our school parade.  Please bring your child to school in costume and a change of clothes for later.  After our parade we will return to our preschool class for a visit from “Professor Egghead.”  If you would like to bring goody bags to be sent home with each child, we have a total of 14 children.

Dia De Los Muertos
On Friday, November 3rd we will be celebrating a Mexican holiday called Dia De Los Muertos. Translated to English, this is "The Day of the Dead." Dia De Los Muertos is not one, but two days spent in honor of the dead. The first day celebrates infants and children who have died. This is a group which is believed to have a special place in heaven and is referred to as "Angelitos" or little angels. The second day is in honor of adults who have passed away. Dia De Los Muertos is an opportunity to celebrate the death and the life of loved ones and friends. It is a day of celebration, not a day of mourning. On Dia De Los Muertos, people prepare a feast with many of the favorite dishes of lost loved ones. Pan de Muertos or "Bread of the Dead" is a traditional bread, which is baked during this celebration.Visiting the cemetery is also a popular tradition. At the cemetery, the tomb or burial plot is decorated. The cemetery visit is spent in a picnic environment. The air is filled with music from Mariachi bands while the scent of foods fills the air.
Mrs. Pokrywka (Jackson’s Mom) will be presenting Dia De Los Muertos to our preschoolers along with a fun activity. Together we will be decorating our own altar right here in the classroom. Children are encouraged to bring pictures of loved ones who have passed away as well as pictures of pets that have died.  Thank you, Mrs. Pokrywka, for volunteering.

Photo Albums and Emergency Kits 
If you have not done so, please bring them in and hand them to Ms. Jill or myself. Thank you for those who have already brought them in.
Photo Albums can be purchased at Target or the 99 cent store. Together with your child, please select several pictures that are meaningful to him/her. If you can help your child describe what is happening in the pictures, it would be greatly appreciated.
Emergency Kits are to be brought in a one pound Ziploc bag and be given to myself or a teacher. In your Ziploc bag, please have a small favorite toy, photos of family loved ones, a snack bar that is not perishable and has a long shelf life, any necessary medication and a short, comforting letter addressed to your child.

Easy Fundraising 
Help the school fundraise through Ralph's, Target and by buying gift cards. Thank you so much for your endless support!
 
Welcome to preschool, Lea!
I would like to introduce to you Lea and her family to our preschool. If you see them please be sure to introduce yourself and give them a warm welcome. =) 
 
Note from Ms. Jill
Your children have been doing such a wonderful job using their manners after our manners-themed week, and I am so very proud of them!  The children shared stories about their families, made some portraits, and got to learn a little more about one another from their adorable photo albums and share toys.  Thank you for your help in bringing in pictures and apples!  They loved mashing our homemade applesauce, a delicious treat.  We started letters A, B, C, and D and will be adding to our alphabet song throughout October.  I am also very impressed with our sign in sheets!!  Thank you for guiding your children to the circle table, we will continue to get better each week.
October will bring lots of Fall activities including leaf printing, pumpkin decorating, and celebrating fire safety!  We will be learning how to stop, drop, and roll, some spooky poems, and cool science experiments with baking soda.  Your children love being little scientists!!  They will be doing lots of brainstorming and thinking about our new alphabet curriculum, where they get to help be a teacher themselves.  I am looking forward to our Halloween parade and all of our fun events coming up!  Be sure to always check my Weekly Plans on the door for any updates of upcoming events or reminders J
Sincerely, Ms. Jill