Dear Families,
The children had a blast with their grandparents (or “grandparents for a day”) at the Pumpkin Picking Hayride event last week. This week, on Thurs. & Fri. 10/30 and 10/31 are the Halloween Parades at 10:00 a.m., and parents are invited. If your child does not attend on a Thursday or Friday, you may bring him/her to the parade on either day. Kindergarten will only participate on Friday, 10/31.
And, we have another special event for families coming up, and we hope you will continue to participate! Please mark your calendars for our Thanksgiving Feast, scheduled for Friday, November 21st at 6:00 p.m. To assure we plan accordingly, please RSVP for this event either by sending back the form that is being emailed to all families or by the paper form that will be sent home, or simply email me with the number of adults and children that will attend. Email me at val@pepperminttree.com . We want to make sure we are prepared! This will be a “Potluck” Thanksgiving Feast, so please consider bringing one of your favorite holiday dishes to share. We are also emailing a list of what is needed, and what people are already bringing. If you can bring anything that is still “blank” under “Family Bringing” please let me know and we will add you to our list. (NOTE: We still need 3 cooked turkey breasts, sliced!) Or, if you have a favorite dish that is not listed, please let me know. We appreciate your participation! This is a FREE event for your entire family, and you are welcome to attend whether you are able to bring anything or not.
Happy Thanksgiving to all. We are thankful for our Peppermint Tree families!
Sincerely,
“Miss Val”
Valerie Frost-Lewis, MS Ed.
Owner/Director
Please join us for dinner and a parent and staff workshop: “Bouncing off The Walls! ADHD: The Difference Between Active and Hyper Active” (Free event and Free Child Care provided. RSVP required.)
When is a toddler’s energy too much? How long should your preschooler be able to focus on a task? Learn what normal activity levels are in early childhood, how to cope with a the crazy tactics of a two-year old, and strategies to deal with the truly hyperactive child in this one hour workshop.
This workshop, brought to us by the non-profit organization, Helping Others Grow, will be presented by Patti Brown, BSN RN, a pediatric nurse with over twenty-four years of experience. She has enjoyed working with children in many different areas of nursing including neurology, endocrinology, acute care, intensive care, and outpatient pediatrics. For thirteen years, she worked as a pediatric nurse consultant for the Division of Child Protection and Permanency educating parents, families, and social workers on many aspects of infant care, health and development of children, and child-specific care needs.
The children’s dinner will be provided by our parent volunteers from our Strengthening Families group. And, the parents’ entree will be catered, through a generous donation from Karen Donohue’s company, Oceans of Hope. Thanks to all our volunteers!
Please RSVP for this workshop by emailing val@pepperminttree.com and indicating how many adults and how many children will be attending. Alternatively, you may call the office or send in a note to your child’s teacher.
School Portrait packages have been sent home – Please return the photos or payment by Monday, 11/10/14
Make portrait payment out to: Slayton Studios. Thank you!
Food Drive at Peppermint Tree for “Students Change Hunger 2014″ & Toy Drive for local children in need to be held November 1 – 21
Once again this year, our school is participating in a food drive to benefit the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean County. Please consider donating non-perishable food items (No Glass please), please also tell your child about your donation, and allow them to place the food in the box that will be in our side hallway. The food drive ends on November 21st, the day of our Thanksgiving Feast. You may bring your donations to the feast, also (remember: no glass). Thank you for contributing to our community, and helping us to teach our children about the importance of giving to those in need.
In addition to the food drive, please consider asking your child to give up one gently used toy (or book) to donate to children in need in our community. We will be donating them locally. This will be a great way to teach our children about giving and get them involved.
Toms River Schools are closed Tues, Thurs & Friday, November 4, 6 & 7.
We will NOT be holding classes on these days, however we will be providing child care. For those of you who are registered for our Peppermint Tree calendar, we are open and we will be expecting your child to attend. But please be advised that every teacher does not work every holiday. We also do not use every classroom. Please prepare your child for these changes. Please use the side door for entrance.
If you follow the Toms River calendar or attend 9:00 – 11:30 (quarter day) we will not be expecting your child. But, if you need child care on these days please call the office and we can arrange to care for your child. You will be billed for the care on a per day basis.
We will be CLOSED for the Thanksgiving Holiday, Thursday and Friday, November 27th & 28th. No classes or child care offered.
Enjoy yourselves!!
Pre-K and Kindergarten Field Trip to Johnson’s Corner Farm Wednesday, 11/12 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Permission slips will soon be sent home to children in those two classes. The children will be picking sweet potatoes and corn, and will see how a real farm operates. It is an enriching experience. Children must bring a brown bag lunch. Permission slip must be returned for participation. All Pre-K and Kindergarten children are invited to attend the field trip, whether they normally attend on Wednesday or not. Kindergarten children will not be back in time for the public school afternoon session bus. Children are not required to attend and there will be a regular session at school for those who do not attend the field trip.
Our next Strengthening Families Meeting will be held on Wednesday, 11/5 at 6:00 p.m.
We will be making final plans for the Thanksgiving Feast on 11/21 and planning more family fun events for the rest of the school year. All parents/guardians and staff are welcome to attend. There is no charge for child care during this one hour meeting. Join us! The meetings are a fun and informal way to get to know other parents and the staff. Please RSVP for the meeting and child care by emailing: val@pepperminttree.com
Has your child had a flu shot yet this season?
All children under the age of five MUST get a Flu shot before December 31 each school year. Please send in the updated immunization record after the shot is given. The Ocean County Health Department inspects our records each year, so we must have the updated record for each child.
Inclement Weather
In case of snowy or icy conditions, please check our website announcement on the home page, or your email box for updates about school opening on these days. We also provide this information to WOBM radio “Storm Watch” program and change our outgoing phone message. We make every effort to be open, however the safety of our staff and families are our first concern. As a guideline, if The Toms River Public Schools have a delayed opening or are closed due to inclement weather, the earliest we will open is 8:30 a.m. This will give us time to get our driveway and walkways plowed, salted and sanded and determine if we will delay further or have to close for the day. There are no refunds or credits for inclement weather closings, we have built three snow days into our schedule this year. Consistent with Toms River Schools’ policy this year, if we are closed more days than three days for inclement weather, we will offer make up days. If we don’t use them, the three snow days built into the schedule will be taken away from the end of the school year so in total we offer 180 school days for Mon-Fri children following the Toms River Schools calendar.
Parent Reminders:
- Check backpacks daily for information from the office or your child’s teacher and art projects from your child.
- Label everything, especially backpacks, lunch boxes, jackets and sweatshirts!
- Please send in an extra set of clothes for the cooler weather. We play outside every day as long as it is not raining or snowing or below 32 degrees F.
- Please collect and send in “BOXTOPS for Education” (the pink squares on many grocery products). Peppermint Tree receives funds for school materials through this program. Thank you to parent volunteer, Joanne Engo, for coordinating this project for us!
Tags: children's holiday activities, Day Care Toms River NJ, Early childhood education, Family Activities Toms River, Full Day Kindergarten Toms River, grandparents, Helping Others Grow, nursery school toms river nj, parent workshop, Pre-K Toms River NJ, Preschool Toms River NJ, Strengthening Families, Thanksgiving
