January Newsletter
Dear Families,
Happy New Year to all of our families and staff! We hope you and your family had wonderful holidays together! We have a lot in store for your children and for the whole family in 2026.
I am so thankful and excited to let you know, that as a community, we raised $385.00 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through our Pajama Days in December. Thank you to all who participated!! You all also raised over $750.00.00 for our Chick Hatching and new Playground supplies for the Spring from the Miss Chocolate Fundraiser sale! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Announcing … ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR FALL 2026 will open JANUARY 1st for Current families only!
We are offering in-house priority registration to our current students so you can save a spot for your child before we open the registration up to the public. You may complete the registration form and pay the registration fee on our website to save your child’s spot for the next school year.
Here is the link to register using our secure online form: https://www.pepperminttree.com/registration/
Click on the “Current and Returning Families” button.
Here is our registration schedule:
In-House Priority Registration for School Year 2026-27 for current families only: January 1 through – January 14, 2026. As of January 15, 2026, Fall 2026 registration will be open to the public. Online registration will open on 1/1/26. (As an alternative, families may request a paper application from the office.)
In-House Priority Registration for Summer Camp 2026 for current and returning families only: January 15, 2026 – January 31, 2026. As of February 1, 2026, Summer Camp registration will be open to the public. We are usually 100% sold out for camp (with a long waiting list), so please register during the in-house priority registration period to ensure you get a spot and the schedule you need! We are scheduling field trips and entertaining visitors, and of course we will have the Swimming Pools open and offer lots of on-site special activities and themes. If your child has not attended our summer camp in the past, you can learn more about it at: https://www.pepperminttree.com/summer-camp
You don’t have to wait for the 2026 camp activity calendar to be completed to save your child’s spot in camp, since we allow children to sign up for any trip or optional activity, even if it is not their regularly scheduled day. Trip & Activity signups will not occur until late Spring.
We will guarantee a spot for all currently enrolled children in the next school year and in camp, as long as each child is registered during the “In-House Priority Registration Period” for each program. Completed registration entails completing the online registration form, and paying the registration fee. Once registration is open to the public, space is saved on a first come, first serve basis.
A FREE virtual Parent Workshop is being offered on Thursday, January 15th, 8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., via Zoom, on the topic of “Potty Training with Confidence and Connection”, given by Peppermint Tree parent, Jessica Dunne. Jessica is an Early Childhood Educator and Parenting Coach.
I hope our parents who are working on this with their children will attend! This topic was selected based on the results from the surveys sent out in the Fall and also from input at our Parent meetings. We will send out the Zoom link before the event. Please mark your calendars now!
Monday, January 19th is a Child Care Day- No Classes, as Toms River Schools are Closed (Child Care is provided for those following the Peppermint Tree calendar)
Just a reminder that we do not hold our regular classes when Toms River Schools are closed, however we do provide childcare for those who selected the Peppermint Tree Calendar. Those children who follow the Toms River Schools calendar with us are not expected to attend on these days. However, if you need care, you may arrange with the office to add 1/19 to your child’s schedule on a space available basis. Those children who follow our full Peppermint Tree Calendar will be on our list to attend on 1/19, if they normally attend on Mondays, so no need to arrange in advance for those families.
Our next Parent Meeting will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, January 21st at 8:00 p.m.
We hope you will join us, as we plan parent workshops and family events for our community. It’s a great chance to meet other families and get involved in our school activities. We will send the Zoom link out before the meeting.
Mr. Scott the Music Man will visit each classroom on Wednesday, January 28th
The children absolutely love Mr. Scott! He wears tie dye head to toe, and shares his all original zany music and movement program with the children, while encouraging them to get exercise and enjoy life!
We are partnering with Monmouth University to provide free speech-language screening for all enrolled children (with permission from parents/guardians).
We are excited to share that a group of graduate students and licensed speech-language pathologists from Monmouth University will be offering speech-language screenings in January-February: 1/30, 2/4, 2/13, 2/18 (& 2/20 as a make up day if needed)
What is a speech-language screening?
A speech and language screening consists of a short assessment of your child’s speech (how they
pronounce sounds) and language (following directions, answering questions, processing information, naming vocabulary, etc.), observing play and social interactions, as well as reading and writing abilities, if appropriate for your child’s age. This allows the therapist to gather an initial impression of your child’s abilities and to make further recommendations for a full evaluation, if needed. Each family will get a report on your child’s results of the screening. If you would like your child to participate, please complete and return the permission slip, if you have not yet done so.
Watch for our Program and Facility Enhancements in 2026!
We are excited to announce, that in 2026 we will be offering more earth learning in the classroom and we are enhancing our outdoor space to bring more learning outdoors!
We already spend a good amount of time on the playground, in the garden, and in the outdoor classroom, and in the coming year we will be adding outdoor learning centers to bring more of the curriculum outdoors, intentional nature experiences, and more open-ended opportunities outdoors to benefit your children.
Current research today shows time outdoors and with nature increases attention span, improves emotional regulation and cognitive development, and supports mental and physical well-being. What else? The more time children enjoy outdoors the better they eat, the sounder they sleep, and the more excited they are to learn.
Starting in the new year, Earth Friends will be offered twice a week (Tuesday / Thursday) in the Preschool and PreK classrooms with Miss Janna, and our Early Learners will enjoy more developmentally appropriate Earth Friends activities during their week as well. Directly after each Earth Friends, our children will go outdoors to experience our enriched outdoor environment, where they can explore their senses, play with their friends, and learn about nature and the world around them. Miss Liz will be the Earth Friends Internal Coach to support Earth Friends learning throughout the week in the classroom for all children. With this new responsibility, Miss Liz will become an Assistant Director.
And, we are thrilled to welcome Janna Hockenjos, the developer of Earth Friends and Peppermint Tree parent, as our new Teacher and Outdoor Education Specialist. She will be facilitating the outdoor learning spaces and planning activities and experiences for the children’s time outdoors on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
We are excited to bring these new outdoor spaces to life, and we want to include our families and community in developing the learning centers and new experiences. In the next few weeks, please keep an eye out for our wish lists as we will be grateful for our community’s support in building and enhancing the new outdoor learning experiences.
So, this focus on earth and outdoor learning, brings our best practice offerings into balance with one another. And each offering has leadership to assure we maintain focus:
Connection with Nature: Co-Led by Janna Hockenjos and Liz Facchiano. Janna is Teacher and Outdoor Education Specialist and Earth Friends Teacher; Liz is PreK Teacher, Assistant Director and Earth Friends Internal Coach.
Early Academics: Led by Caren Meehan, Assistant Director, upholding GrowNJKids and Licensing standards, Creative Curriculum Fidelity, and the ECERS/ITERS guidelines
Social Emotional Learning: Led by Meredith Hamilton, PreK Teacher, Assistant Director and Pyramid Model Internal Coach
Creating Community and Family Engagement: Led by Valerie Frost-Lewis, Director, in coordination with our Parent Group
Thank you, families and staff, for being on this journey with us - to assure each child gets the most enriching experience possible, to help them learn, grow and enjoy their time at Peppermint Tree.
The Pyramid Model In Action at Peppermint Tree
I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a bit more about our work with the children and how the Pyramid Model shapes our “way of being” at Peppermint Tree. This month we are sharing with parents a Pyramid Model home school connection resource entitled “How to Use Positive Language to Improve Your Child’s Behavior”. Encouraging a child and telling them what they CAN DO, rather than focusing on what they are not allowed to do, creates a much more positive environment. We take every opportunity to give children choices, and let them know all the things they can do, while limiting the “no” and “stop it” language as much as possible. We will often use visuals to help a child understand and process the rules and acceptable choices.
When a child is upset, our focus is on helping them calm - in those moments, we don’t try to get them to learn a lesson, clean up, or come to circle time, for example. Our focus during these moments is to teach them ways to calm their bodies, name the emotion they may be feeling, and find the things they enjoy that help them calm. Once calm, (or later in the day) we can then reflect with the child and teach them why we clean up, or join circle time, and encourage them to try next time.
Save these Dates! Look at all these wonderful future activities the school and the Parent Group have planned:
Monday, 2/9/26, 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Parent Workshop (via Zoom) with a topic around “Behavior Support” (exact title to come), given by Peppermint Tree parent and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Cristine Michnea.
Thursday, 3/26/26, 8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. - Parent Workshop (via Zoom), “Kindergarten Readiness”, given by Miss Val, Miss Caren, Mrs. Hamilton and Miss Liz
Saturday, 4/18/26, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. - Family Carnival (This is a Parent Group sponsored event: watch for more details – each group of classroom parent volunteers will be asked to work together to create a fun zone/game on the playground for this event.)
Saturday, 5/2/26, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Ocean County Children’s Festival (at Toms River Library) This is a fabulous day of activities for the children, resources for families, and entertainment, sponsored by the Ocean Chapter of the New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children. Miss Val is the event chairperson, and many of our staff will be helping to help make this a fun day for all!
Saturday, 5/16/26, 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – Family Garden Planting Party- This will be the day we plant our vegetable gardens (the plants that need to wait until after the last frost), and we invite our families to join us for this kickoff for the season.
Thursday, 5/28/25, 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (in person at Peppermint Tree) - Family Toy Swap, Ice Cream Social, and Mr. Scott the Music Man. This is a fun and fabulous end of the school year celebration! Bring a Toy – Get a Toy! Eat Ice Cream! Enjoy some musical fun!!
Wednesday, 6/3/26, 10:00 a.m. (outdoors at Peppermint Tree) - PreK End of Year Ceremony (Rain date: Wednesday, Thursday 6/4/26)
2025 Tax Statements
You may print out a statement of your 2025 Child Care expenses, to use while preparing your tax return, from your account on our Parent Portal. Go to MyProcare.com on a web browser, where you can view all your payment and billing history. (NOT on the Procare app that we use for checking in and out of school).
Annual Flu Shots REMINDER (If not yet completed) Please send in updated immunization record ASAP. The Health Department requires the annual Flu shot for all children in Preschool, under the age of 5.
As per the State of New Jersey requirements, all children who attend Peppermint Tree who are under 5 years of age, must get an annual Flu shot, before December 31. (If you missed that deadline, please get your child the flu shot as soon as possible and send in the record.) Please send in proof of this vaccination for your child’s file. Please note, the Ocean County Health Department is coming on site in January to audit our student records for immunizations.
Inclement Weather
In case of snowy or icy conditions, please look out for a message from us through the Procare app. That will be our primary communication in stormy weather. (It’s easiest and quickest to get an early morning message out.)
We will also make every effort to send an email for updates about school opening on these days. We also provide this information to WOBM radio “Storm Watch”, and change our outgoing phone message. We make every effort to be open, however the safety of our staff and families is 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 will be able to make up for up to three snow days at the end of the year, if we have them.
For safety on the playground: Please no scarves or hats with long scarves attached.
We do not allow scarves at all on the playground, as they are hazardous on playground equipment. (Can get caught in the swings, or wrapped around a child’s neck.) Thanks for your understanding. Note: We also prefer mittens over gloves, as it takes more time to get all the children into gloves! Thank you!
Parent Reminders:
Label Everything. If an item is not labeled, we may label it for you. This includes lunch bags, jackets, sweaters, mittens, hats!
Please – Mittens ONLY/no gloves, no scarves.
No strings on jackets or hoodies.
Dress your child in layers. We go outside every day that it is 32 degrees or higher, and not precipitating, as long as there is no snow or ice on the playground.
All children must go outside with their group. If a child is too sick to play outside, then they should stay home from school to rest.
Please drive SLOWLY in our driveway. Thanks!
Please do not park your car at the end of our driveway, as it is too narrow to accommodate parked cars and two-way traffic. Park further back in our driveway.
Please do not leave your car idling in our driveway. This is a safety concern.
