Parent Handbook. Thank you for choosing. The Learning Tree Preschool. We are looking forward to an exciting school year with your children!

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1 Thank you for choosing The Learning Tree Preschool We are looking forward to an exciting school year with your children! Parent Handbook September June 2017 The Learning Tree Preschool 11 Sackville Dr SW Calgary, Alberta T2W 0W3 P: (403) F: (403) E: learningtreepreschool@shaw,ca Website:

2 Ms. Meghan Teachers Ms. Anita Notes Ms. Chandra Ms. Kayla Class Times 3 year olds - Tuesday and Thursday Morning 9:20-11:20 First Class will be Tuesday September 13, year olds - Monday, Wednesday and Friday Morning 9:10-11:20 4 year old - Language and Literacy Program, Monday, Wednesday and Friday Afternoon 12:30-2:45 First Class will be Wednesday, September 14, 2016 School Calendar Each month you will be provided with a school calendar via , it will also be available on our website at

3 Days Closed The school will be closed the following days: Oct 10 - Thanksgiving Nov 10 - Professional Day Nov 11 - Remembrance Day Dec 22 to Jan 5 - Christmas Holidays Feb 16 to 20 - Family Day and Teachers Convention Mar 22 - Apr 3 - Spring / Easter Break May 19 - Professional Day May 22 - Victoria Day Last Day of school / Year End Parties - 3 year olds - Jun 15 4 year olds - June 16 Our Vision To create a fun, innovative, creative and safe environment to develop the whole child", intellectually, socially, cognitively and physically. We will engage children to learn through play, exploring, experimenting and one another. Providing them with a sense of security, belonging and self while being a part of a classroom of caring and respecting others. Our Vision In Action Our curriculum and program incorporate our vision each day. Our toys, materials, tools and discussions are strategically planned and developed with your child in mind. It is our goal to create the best first classroom experience so that your child will develop a passion for their own education. Our programs are designed to foster and encourage the strengths of the individual child and improve on the areas where they require assistance. Our success is measured in the overall development of the children and their enjoyment of the process.

4 Sample Daily Schedules Daily schedules for both the 3 and 4 year old program will follow basically the same schedule but topics, skills and materials are adjusted to be age and developmentally appropriate for the class. Time Allotted Activity 60 min Play and Craft We use developmentally appropriate toys, tools and materials to incorporate learning experience through play Developmental Skills Social skills, fine motor skills, language skills, fine motor skills, early literacy, math and science min Story and Sharing Time Cooperation, listening, respecting others, sharing, speaking in a group setting, gaining confidence by enforcing the ideas that children s thoughts and opinions are heard, important and valued min Snack Sharing, trying new things and being introduced to the favorite snacks and foods of other children min Gym or Music Gross Motor development, fine motor development, coordination, cooperation and sharing Class Lists A class list with and phone contact information will be provided to all families in each class. If you would prefer not to have your contact information included, please notify the preschool. The list is provided for the benefit of the parents for the purposes of birthday parties, playdates or alternate pick up / drop off arrangements with the other parents in your child s class. Cuddle Bear 4 year olds will take turns bringing home Cuddle Bear. Your child can draw or write about what they did with the bear on their day and they should return it to school the following school day. Class Photos Class Photos as well as individual school photos of each child will be taken by a professional photographer who will provide packages for purchase. The preschool does not benefit in any way from the purchase of the photos.

5 Field Trips The Preschool may have field trips throughout the year. We will propose the field trips to the parents of each class individually and ask for their permission for the children to participate. Field Trips within the grounds of Southwood Community Centre and area will not require parent participation, off site field trips will require parent accompaniment. If field trip participation is less than 70% the field trip will be cancelled. School Clothing Please don t send your children to school in their very best clothing. We will make every effort to keep your child reasonably clean and will provide smocks or shirts for messy activities but accidents will happen and we don t want your child s best outfit ruined. Show and Tell 3 year olds can bring Show and Tell to school on Tuesdays. Please put their Show and Tell in their backpack. Show and tell stays in their backpack until later in the class. 4 year olds will have show and tell days that will be announced on the monthly calendars. Parent Involvement Each child will take a turn being the Special Helper for the day once per cycle, once every child has had their turn, the cycle will begin again. Parents are invited but not required to stay on their child s Special Helper day. Parents are required to provide a small snack for the class on their child s day, this will allow children to share their favorite foods and be introduced to the favorites of their friends. Snack Ideas We are a peanut free facility and you will be notified of any other allergy concerns in your child s class. Please provide a small healthy snack that does not need to include a drink, however, if you do choose to bring a drink, please ensure it is 100% juice, no soda pop or Kool-aid. Snack ideas include but are not limited to: Fruits Vegetables Crackers and Cheese Muffins Pretzels Your Child s Favorite Snack Snacks should not cost more than $8-$10 for an entire class.

6 Birthdays You are welcome to send a special treat on your child s birthday. We do request that they are small portions and that they are peanut free. June and summer birthdays are combined and celebrated before school ends in June. Backpacks Please send your child to school with a backpack including the following items: Indoor shoes Extra clothes and underwear (in case of an accident). If your child has an accident that requires more attention than a change of clothes (bowel movement) you will be contacted. Medication (please notify teachers of any medications contained in your child s backpack and complete a medication form with the teacher) Backpacks containing medication must be given to the teacher to keep out of reach of other children. Hat (weather permitting) Children will be taken outdoors for gym time when the weather allows, please include a hat if it is hot outside. Illness Please read and be aware of our illness policy. If your child is sick or displaying symptoms of illness, please keep them home. Children should not be at school if: Child is vomiting, has a fever, diarrhea or a new unexplained rash or cough. Child requires greater attention than can be provided without compromising the care of the other children in the class. Child displays any other illness or symptoms that may indicate they pose a health risk to the other children and the teacher. If your child becomes ill at school, you will be contacted immediately. Absences Please call the preschool to notify us if your child is away ill and of any contagious symptoms we should be aware of.

7 Off-site Activity and Emergency Evacuation Administration of Medicine Any off site activity will require parent notification, acknowledgment and permission in writing for their child to attend. The preschool will not provide transportation of any kind; it will be the responsibility of the parent/caregiver to transport their child to any off site activity. Ratios will always be maintained as per requirements for any off site activity. In an emergency evacuation or any activity that involves leaving our primary preschool space, portable records including emergency contact numbers for the children as well as emergency and safety contacts within the community will be on hand in our portable records so that all appropriate contacts can be made. Parents will be notified immediately of any emergency evacuations. If a child has any allergies or requires medication while at preschool, we require the parents to complete a medical form to have written consent on file for the administration of medication. The medication must be in its original labeled container and will only be administered according to the labeled directions. When administering medication the staff member must ensure all of the below is recorded: a) the name of the medication b) the time the medication was given c) the amount of medication given d) document their name and initial All medication is stored in a locked container that is not accessible to the children and any emergency medication is stored in an area not accessible by children.

8 Child Discipline Policy The Learning Tree Preschool is dedicated to provide a positive environment for the development of each child registered. The school program shall be planned with the flexibility to accommodate the individual needs of each child. A child cannot have a positive experience in an environment in which he/she feels threatened, it is the expectation that each parent will remain with their child until that child is secure. If the behaviour of one child is interfering with the rights of others, any action taken will be of a positive nature. As such the following approach will be used for a child who displays inappropriate behaviour: 1) The child will be redirected to a quiet area within the room and given a book, or a choice of calming measures to help assist them deal with their emotions until he/she is able to cope, for instance: a. Shake the calming bottle up and wait for the layers settle while taking deep breaths b. Squeeze a ball while taking deep breaths c. Stretch elastics over pegs while taking deep breaths 2) Return to the regular class once they are calm. The Learning Tree Preschool will use a three strikes policy when dealing with aggression in the classroom. After three instances of a child displaying aggression the parent will be asked to choose between removal of their child from the program or attendance with their child in all classes for a two week period to help their child feel secure and aid in properly addressing any further outbreaks of aggression. After the two-week period the child suitability for remaining in the program will be discussed with the staff and parents. A fourth instance of aggression during or after the two-week period may result in immediate removal of the child from the program. The Preschool will NEVER inflict any physical punishment, use verbal or physical degradation or emotional deprivation, deny or threaten to deny any basic necessity or permit the use of any physical restraint, confinement or isolation. All actions of discipline will be reasonable for the circumstance. Staff has read, reviewed and understood the Child Discipline Policy and have acknowledged their understanding, evidence to be kept in each staff member s file. Children will participate in making the rules for the classroom, with coaching, they will help establish and post the rules as well as talk about why we have them. All communication of rules, discipline and consequences will be communicated in a developmentally appropriate manner. This procedure will be employed by the teacher to ensure consistency in language and approach for all instances of aggression in the classroom. This includes child-child, child-teacher, child-parent helper and child-self aggression.